Bob Bodkin

Bob Bodkin
Resides in: Springfield Township, close to Springtown.
Years running: I have been a serious runner for 4 years.
Bio: Around 4 years ago, I was taking my Advanced Rescue Scuba Diver tests. Part of the test is to demonstrate my rescue skills in a mock rescue. The drill was to locate and “rescue” my diving partner in 60′ of water at the bottom of Dutch Springs Quarry. I had to get him to the surface and immediately start CPR on him, while taking his equipment off and towing him to shore, never stopping the CPR . The rescue left me so weak and wiped out, that I started to worry about my over-all health and fitness. I did work out regularly, but did not do much cardio. I also knew that my family heart history was very bad.

I added running to my work out routine and after many boring hours on the treadmill, moved to the road. It did not take long for me to fall in love with running. A friend of mine noticed that I was becoming a runner, and she challenged me to run a 5k with her. We ran in the Morning Star Rotary 5k several years ago. I loved the experience so much, that I immediately signed up for more races. I have run so many races, from 5k to 26.2, that I have lost track of them, and I am quickly running out of space to display my race bib collection.

What do you enjoy most about running?
Two things … I love getting lost in my thoughts while I run. I run mostly at night and just get absorbed into the sounds and darkness around me. I also enjoy all the people I have met from running. I have had many hobbies and met many people as a result of them but have never met people as kind, caring and genuine as fellow runners.

What is the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on a run?
In the corral waiting for the start of last year’s Philly Distance Run, a guy next to me kept offering me a Double Mocha gel pack. I declined but he kept offering it. I eventually accepted, knowing that I shouldn’t try something new on race day. Sure enough, soon after we took off, my stomach started to cramp up. I stuck it out awhile, but eventually had to use one of the Porta-Johns. I was trying to get in and out quickly, but the paper dispenser was jammed. The harder I tried, the more jammed it got, and hearing the runners going by, just made me more frustrated. I started banging on it and yelling at it. When I finally got it fixed and got out, the look of fright on the people’s faces in line was priceless. They all gave me plenty of room to exit!

What is your biggest running accomplishment and why?
Would have to be this Spring’s race schedule. I did my first full Marathon in April (Runapalooza) followed by the Lehigh Valley 1/2 a week later. Then in May I ran the Pocono Marathon. June I ran the Green Mountain Relay in Vermont. It was a 200 mile relay with a team of 10 runners. We completed it in 31 hours, with my portion being 30 miles.

Do you have any current running goals?
I started training last week for the Sun Trust Marathon in November. I am gunning for a 3:45 finish. I will focus on quality this time around, not quantity of races.

What is your best race experience?
The Green Mountain Relay is was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I run most of my races for the NF Endurance Team, which is the fund raising and awareness arm of the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

I joined around 30 other members of the NF Team in Vermont. I had only met a couple of the other runners a few times, so was a little apprehensive. We met at a resort for some leadership exercises and team building activities. I usually am not very comfortable in these situations, but the people in the group were one of the friendliest, funniest, and down to earth gathering of people I have ever met. It was non-stop laughter. I left with a heap of new knowledge about NF, how to help the team, and 30+ new close friends.

The race itself was a feat in mental and physical endurance. I spent 31 hours in a smelly mini-van with 5 people I had just met. We ran around the clock, and had no more than 1 1/2 hours of sleep during the race. My favorite part was early in the morning of the second day. I was running in the dark up a mountain near Mt. Okemo Ski resort, and slowly the sun starting rising above the mountains. It was such an incredible scene, that I hardly noticed it was a 15% grade I was running.