George Suter is about to do something few of us can imagine.
On July 25, the 77-year-old DeKalb man will run a race – the 600th of his career. As if that wasn't enough, by the end of the year, Suter figures he'll have put in more than 33,000 miles of racing.
"That's over 33 years," he said, noting that he used to average more than 1,000 miles a year.
Remarkably, Suter didn't begun running until he was 44.
Growing up in Sycamore, Suter played baseball for the Sycamore Sons, the old semi-pro team. Now retired, he belongs to three different running clubs, in Illinois and Florida.
Among the 600 races are six marathons.
"I like the way it feels to be in shape," Suter said. "If I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it. ...It's a camaraderie thing (among fellow runners)."
Although he doesn't have any plans to reach 1,000 races, he said he "can't imagine quitting yet."
Suter talked about running with MidWeek reporter Doug Oleson.
MidWeek: How did you get into running?
George Suter: There was a running boom in the late '70s with Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter. I had been playing tennis and thought I was in shape, and I said to my daughter, "Let's go for a run." I went half a mile and I was out of breath. I thought, "This isn't good," so I kept running. I've been running ever since.
MW: When was your first race?
GS: Let's see, that was September, so probably that fall.
MW: Where was it?
GS: It was at the North 40 over there at Northern (Illinois University). They had a little 5K.
MW: So how did you do?
GS: I don't remember. That was a long time ago.
MW: When you first started running, did you plan to race?
GS: I just came into it. I don't think I planned anything. I just started running and my daughter ran with me some. I liked it. I got into these races early on and that kept me interested. A lot of people, they don't race. But that wouldn't be me.
MW: I was going to say, don't you need something to keep you going?
GS: Right. I like to compete in my age division.
MW: What kind of races do you run?
GS: Well, now, it's pretty much 5K. The last couple of years, I pretty much did whatever was on the schedule of the Fox River (Trail Runners Club). They have a circuit. The Chicago Area Runners Association has a circuit, too. I try to run both circuits.
You can win your age division and get points. Every five years has an age group. I got a little plaque for the 70-74 group in the Chicago Area Runners Association. They have like 9,000 members, but in my age group of 70 there were probably about 50 guys.
MW: Do you run a certain amount every day?
GS: Not necessarily. I ran three 5Ks in a row, so I wouldn't run in between. This week I don't have a race so I'll try to get some miles in.
MW: Roughly, how many miles will you run in a week?
GS: I used to average 23-25 a week. But the last couple years, I've cut way back. I'm going to be 78 in October. I'm doing 12-13 a week. It's enough to keep me so I can race.
MW: Where do you run?
GS: I run the bike path over near Greenacre (Drive in DeKalb). If it's real hot and humid, I'll go on a treadmill at FitWorkz, because I also lift weights three, four times a week.
MW: Do you run with anyone?
GS: Pretty much alone. There isn't anybody my age. Anyone around here that does is pretty much younger and faster. You have to find someone who runs the same pace.
MW: Where do you run in the winter?
GS: Fortunately, we're in Florida all winter. I belong to the Fort Myers Track Club down there.
MW: Does anyone else in your family run?
GS: Both of my sons have done Iron Man. My youngest son does a triathlon. My son-in-law has run an Iron Man and a 50-mile race. My daughter has done two or three half-Iron Man. And my daughter-in-law, who first said we were all crazy, has done 14 marathons and qualified for the Boston Marathon. She goes out with her friends and does 12 miles like I do two or three. So everybody in the family runs.
MW: Did you get them all started?
GS: That's what they claim.
MW: How many races do you do in a year?
GS: Now, I do about 15. I used to do 25-30. I know some guys who do two a week.
MW: Doesn't that wear on you?
GS: You'd think so.
MW: Do you like the shorter races?
GS: I'm better at the shorter races. You can see I have short legs. You need long legs to run 26 miles. I'm better and more competitive in the shorter races.
MW: Have you done a lot of marathons?
GS: I've done six marathons, one in DeKalb when they used to have one years ago, one in the Twin Cities with my son, we ran together, and the other four were in Chicago.
MW: When was your first marathon?
GS: I don't remember that, but my last one was in 1998. It was just too much training. ...You have to train for six, seven months. I started training in January for the Chicago Marathon in October. And then it takes forever to recover.
MW: What's it like to run a marathon?
GS: You get out there and you say, "Why am I doing this?" Usually, you just can't wait for it to be over. And you think, "I'm never going to do this again," but you do.
MW: In a marathon, will a runner run the whole way? Do they ever stop and walk?
GS: What they'll do is walk through the water station. Chicago has a water station every mile and a half. They'll either drink while they run or, if it's really hot and humid, they'll walk through the water station.
MW: When there are so many runners clumped together, is that ever claustrophobic?
GS: No. It spreads out pretty quickly.
MW: It takes so long, do you get bored running a marathon?
GS: You don't get bored because there are so many people around you. When I ran with my son, we'd pace each other. ...Plus, it's kind of hurting. You're breathing through your nose and your mouth.
MW: Have you ever been in the Boston Marathon?
GS: No, I couldn't qualify.
MW: What is the ideal weather for running?
GS: For short races, anything 55 to 70 degrees. My daughter-in-law who has done 14 marathons, she wants it in the 40s.
MW: What was your biggest day in racing?
GS: Winning the 70-74 age division in the Chicago Area Runners Association. That was big. ...There is a thing called the National Seniors Game. You have to be 55 or over. To qualify for the nationals, you have to qualify at the state level down in Springfield in the 1,500 meters, the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters. There are two from each state. The nationals are held a year later in Orlando. ...I was really pleased with the way I did down there. I finished ninth in the 1,500 meters, sixth in the 5,000 race and 10th in the 10,000. They went eight deep in the awards so I got a medal in the 5,000. That was in 1999.
MW: Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to start running?
GS: Start slow and ease off. And do speed work. Most serious runners do a combination of running (long distance and speed work). No more than one long one a week and never the same week as a race.
MW: Is there any race that stands out?
GS: Fort Myers has the Edison Festival of Lights race. They have 40,000 to 50,000 people riding the streets in this huge parade. So they run the race right down the parade route before the parade and they've got all these people lining the streets at night.
MW: When you first started out, did you ever think you'd do 600 races?
GS: No.