SHSU's Houstonian feature on 7 Hills Running Club
Twenty-Six Miles: Take a look into the 7 Hills Running Club at www.7hills.us
By: Shawn Farrell
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Features
(c) Sam Houston State University's Houstonian Online, 2006
Twenty miles into a marathon, it is not uncommon for participants' toenails to tear away from their feet. Nipples bleed from open blisters and competitors can seizure or even die from hyponatremia, a condition triggered by excessive water consumption. Heat strokes and even stress fractures are a common feature in a race spanning 26.2 miles. Ken Johnson of Huntsville knows this all too well. He's run them 27 times.
"I never thought I'd run a marathon before I did my first," explained 64-year-old Johnson. "I just run everyday to make myself run. It's kind of like quitting smoking. You kind of go cold turkey and stick with it everyday."
Ken has finished somewhere over 300 running races in his career. When it comes to marathons, though, Johnson has technically only completed 17 26.2-mile races. The other 10 are known as ultra-marathons; races composed of 31-miles in length. These races have had their share of tragedies. It is not uncommon for a person to die under the stress of a 26.2 miles competition. Johnson has been a witness of this twice; once during the Sunmart race when a 62-year-old man died right in front of him and another during the Huntsville Half-Marathon in which the a Houston police officer died 12 miles into the race. The HPD deputy was only 45. Johnson directed that race and rode in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. A third passenger was the officer's close friend, who has since joined Johnson's running club and become a good friend.
"Hans Jaegar and I went to the emergency room together as well as his friend's funeral," said Johnson. "We became good friends after that."
Hans soon became a member of Ken Johnson's running association in Huntsville, the 7 Hills Running Club. Hans became a perfect example of the club's dedication to an assorted membership. After every workout, Hans inhales his own type of energy drink. Most Americans just call it beer. The club was started in 1985 with only a handful of members but has since reached a membership of 127 people.
"It's a real diverse group in terms of sex, age and running capabilities," said Johnson. "We have a lot of Sam Houston students. The club was meant to accommodate everybody."
The retired Texas Department of Criminal Justice employee officially began his never-ending running spree not by choice but because he was commanded to in the Army. A former Lieutenant Colonel at Fort Hood, Johnson's commanding general was a marathon runner and scheduled races for every week. The year was 1983. From that day forth, Johnson has strained to run at least one mile a day. Even while sick with the flu, Ken would stumble out of bed and challenge himself to run yet another mile. Sometimes, though, the body just says "NO."
"In December 2002, I had appendicitis," Johnson explained. "I was in the hospital for four days and had eight days of stitches. I was just two weeks short of five years without a running break."
On Johnson's bookshelf is a binder containing scores of running results, pictures from races and autographs of famous distance runners he's met along the way. One picture, he pointed out, was autographed by Frank Shorter, Olympic marathon winner in the 1972 Summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany and last American to win in the marathon event. Beside this folder sits a book he authored himself titled "How to Put on a Road Race." His book sells in every state and is currently sold out.
Johnson's older brother has obtained the running habit alongside his younger sibling as well. At 74-years-old, Ken's brother can run 3.1 miles in under 21 minutes and 6.2 miles in less than 50 minutes.
As for Johnson, he has no real goals in mind. On Feb. 11, he plans to run his 28th marathon along the ocean at Surfside Beach in Lake Jackson. It's 13.1 miles up the beach and another 13.1 on the way back. If it's raining, he'll still be out there. Pain or illness doesn't seem to shake Johnson's resolve. He'll tackle this race like he's tackled every other. The close of his marathon calling is nowhere in sight.
By: Shawn Farrell
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Features
(c) Sam Houston State University's Houstonian Online, 2006
Twenty miles into a marathon, it is not uncommon for participants' toenails to tear away from their feet. Nipples bleed from open blisters and competitors can seizure or even die from hyponatremia, a condition triggered by excessive water consumption. Heat strokes and even stress fractures are a common feature in a race spanning 26.2 miles. Ken Johnson of Huntsville knows this all too well. He's run them 27 times.
"I never thought I'd run a marathon before I did my first," explained 64-year-old Johnson. "I just run everyday to make myself run. It's kind of like quitting smoking. You kind of go cold turkey and stick with it everyday."
Ken has finished somewhere over 300 running races in his career. When it comes to marathons, though, Johnson has technically only completed 17 26.2-mile races. The other 10 are known as ultra-marathons; races composed of 31-miles in length. These races have had their share of tragedies. It is not uncommon for a person to die under the stress of a 26.2 miles competition. Johnson has been a witness of this twice; once during the Sunmart race when a 62-year-old man died right in front of him and another during the Huntsville Half-Marathon in which the a Houston police officer died 12 miles into the race. The HPD deputy was only 45. Johnson directed that race and rode in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. A third passenger was the officer's close friend, who has since joined Johnson's running club and become a good friend.
"Hans Jaegar and I went to the emergency room together as well as his friend's funeral," said Johnson. "We became good friends after that."
Hans soon became a member of Ken Johnson's running association in Huntsville, the 7 Hills Running Club. Hans became a perfect example of the club's dedication to an assorted membership. After every workout, Hans inhales his own type of energy drink. Most Americans just call it beer. The club was started in 1985 with only a handful of members but has since reached a membership of 127 people.
"It's a real diverse group in terms of sex, age and running capabilities," said Johnson. "We have a lot of Sam Houston students. The club was meant to accommodate everybody."
The retired Texas Department of Criminal Justice employee officially began his never-ending running spree not by choice but because he was commanded to in the Army. A former Lieutenant Colonel at Fort Hood, Johnson's commanding general was a marathon runner and scheduled races for every week. The year was 1983. From that day forth, Johnson has strained to run at least one mile a day. Even while sick with the flu, Ken would stumble out of bed and challenge himself to run yet another mile. Sometimes, though, the body just says "NO."
"In December 2002, I had appendicitis," Johnson explained. "I was in the hospital for four days and had eight days of stitches. I was just two weeks short of five years without a running break."
On Johnson's bookshelf is a binder containing scores of running results, pictures from races and autographs of famous distance runners he's met along the way. One picture, he pointed out, was autographed by Frank Shorter, Olympic marathon winner in the 1972 Summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany and last American to win in the marathon event. Beside this folder sits a book he authored himself titled "How to Put on a Road Race." His book sells in every state and is currently sold out.
Johnson's older brother has obtained the running habit alongside his younger sibling as well. At 74-years-old, Ken's brother can run 3.1 miles in under 21 minutes and 6.2 miles in less than 50 minutes.
As for Johnson, he has no real goals in mind. On Feb. 11, he plans to run his 28th marathon along the ocean at Surfside Beach in Lake Jackson. It's 13.1 miles up the beach and another 13.1 on the way back. If it's raining, he'll still be out there. Pain or illness doesn't seem to shake Johnson's resolve. He'll tackle this race like he's tackled every other. The close of his marathon calling is nowhere in sight.
posted by WalkSports.com | 8:52 PM
4 Comments:
College writer. Still learning. :)
Excellent point on the latter; however, I could see where you thought that the uncommon part extended to the second sentence. If you read the second sentence alone, I think it makes sense.
I added "Jaegar" in the quote. The writer left it out on the version on the Houstonian's web site.
I came in to say the same as Lance - the comment about it being extremely uncommon.
Likewise, it's very uncommon for a student or alumni of Sam Houston State University to make an error - LOL! (inside joke there)
Seriously though, I remember an MS150 I did a few years ago in the Ozark Mountains where a guy died on the first day of the ride; his wife had MS and they had met via the ride a few years earlier. It's a memory that doesn't leave you, that's for sure.
The elder Johnson (74 years young) running 3.1 in under 21 minutes, now that's uncommon. Inspires me to start running lot's faster.
I use to write for the Houstonian when i went to SHSU...this is one of the better non-collegiate sports stories I have ever read in that paper. And yes, Barbara, it is uncommon for us to make mistakes! (Like, for example, my faultless spelling! HAHA!)
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