This is so funny: Runners World: Why now for your first attempt at the distance?
Pete Magill: I could give you an idealistic answer about climbing every mountain. But the truth is, after six national masters cross country titles, and numerous American age-group records, I get tired of people suggesting I’m not a real distance runner because I haven’t run a marathon. The chairman of U.S. Masters Long Distance Running holds this belief. Even the magazine I write for, Running Times—maybe you’ve heard of it?—last year didn’t include me in its age-group rankings, even though I had the fastest 50-plus 5K and 10K times ever for an American in the age division. I consider it my duty to show we 5K/10K and cross country runners can run marathons if we choose to. I’m really tired of my neighbor, who’s run 5:30 or 6:00 for the marathon, telling me that if I trained harder I could do marathons. This evening my daughter's choir concert induced a brooding melancholy. Before I started running I was pretty involved w/ choral music, and it has completely fallen by the wayside. There simply isn't time to do it all. So I hopped on the TM and dripped away my sorrows with 7 miles and the NLCS.
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