| Ray Shaulis Marathon Quest From 5/1 Columbus Dispatch |
| GALENA MAN WILL HIT STATED GOAL IN MARATHON
Shaulis retired in 1997 so he could run one in all 50 states Published: Saturday, May 1, 2004 SPORTS 01E By Bob Baptist THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ray Shaulis had his epiphany 15 years ago, after a good friend and co-worker at Abbott Laboratories' Ross Products Division died of a heart attack. Like his friend, "I was a workaholic,'' said Shaulis, who developed nutritional products for the company. "I looked around at all of us and said, 'We're setting ourselves up for what happened to our friend. I'm getting a life outside of work.' '' A lifelong bachelor except for two years of marriage, Shaulis joined a running club. In 1991, he ran his first marathon. In 1997, at age 50, he retired from his job to chase a goal. On Sunday, the Galena man expects to reach it in West Springfield, Mass. It would be the 50th state in which he has completed a marathon. "When I started out, my intent was to run maybe five to see how it went,'' Shaulis said. "I felt pretty good. One thing led to another . . . (and) I decided I was going to pick up the pace. ''Last year, I did 12, the year before that 10. This year, I've done four so far.'' By completing his 50th, Shaulis would join an exclusive group. The 50 States Marathon Club has more than 600 members at various stages of the quest, according to its Web site, www.50statesmarathonclub.com. Of those, 111 have completed a marathon in every state and the District of Columbia. Virginia Farneman of Powell has done one not only in every state but on every continent, including Antarctica. ''I do it for health wellness,'' Shaulis said. ''I love to travel and I love running. It keeps me physically and mentally in shape -- and it allows me to eat anything I want.'' Shaulis is big by distance-running standards, 6 feet and 195 pounds. He is a ''Clydesdale'' in race parlance. His best time for the 26.2 miles is 3 hours, 47 minutes, 45 seconds in the 1994 Columbus Marathon. Earlier this year, he ran 4:34 in Arkansas and 5:27 in New Mexico, where the race was at altitude and much of the course was a sandy, desert trail. ''I don't go for speed because I'm doing so many a year,'' Shaulis said. ''That's why you won't see me at Boston. At my age, to qualify for Boston, I'd have to do a marathon in under 3 hours, 35 minutes. To do that, I'd have to train 50, 60 miles a week. I'm not into that. I'd rather enjoy the scenery, the travel, the wellness of it. I just love it.'' He said his training averages less than 30 miles a week, ''and as I age, I walk more than I run.'' Shaulis' first exposure to a marathon was as a corporate volunteer in Columbus. ''Ross had all the bases covered, providing fluids and volunteers,'' he said. ''The only thing missing was we had nobody running the marathon for charity.'' Shaulis raised money for the Leukemia Society of America while running in 10 straight Columbus Marathons. He ended the string in 2001 to concentrate on his 50-state goal. The best marathon he has run in? He mentioned two, the Twin Cities in Minnesota and the Marine Corps race in Washington, because of the crowd support. ''Remember the D.C. snipers? Well, the Marine Corps Marathon said they weren't canceling the event under any circumstances,'' Shaulis said. ''They caught the snipers three days before we ran. What a relief that was. People who had been cooped up in their houses turned out to cheer us on, it was a beautiful day and we got to (run) around the Pentagon area where they fixed it up from 9/11. It turned out to be a very good one.'' The worst? ''Brookings, South Dakota, on April 15th one year,'' Shaulis said. ''In the morning, the police said the event was canceled because it was too dangerous for runners and volunteers to be on the road because it was all sleet. But South Dakota has only two marathons a year, a lot of us were doing the 50 states and we had people there from Europe who weren't going to leave until they got it in.'' Race directors contacted South Dakota State University, which made available its six-lane indoor track. Participants ran 217 laps to complete the marathon. ''The first hour we went clockwise, the second hour counterclockwise,'' Shaulis said. ''The volunteers were responsible for counting the laps so we didn't have to keep track. After you get about 100 in, it gets a little hazy. And it was hard to breathe in there until they opened up the doors.'' Shaulis plans to set other goals after he reaches the one Sunday. He would like to run a marathon in every Canadian province and some European countries. He would like to reach 75 for his career, then 100 (Sunday's will be his 60th). Before starting after those, though, he intends to take some time for other pursuits. ''Every December I sit down at my word processor and (list) my impact goals for the year,'' Shaulis said. ''I have running goals, investment goals, charity goals (he's a frequent blood donor) and house-project goals. ''I haven't done too many house projects the last three years. I'm going to make some time for them after this.''. |