Pierce County resident and Vietnam veteran Robert Lanier will be 80 this year, but he likes to stay active— by running marathons!
Most recently, Lanier competed in the Sunshine Festival Run on St. Simons Island, where he placed third in his age group.
“That’s a 5k run, so only 3.1 miles,” Lanier says in an offhand way. “Out of about 1,900 total runners I finished at 900, so I was about middle of the pack.”
Lanier says that median position among the many runners is normal for him. “I’ve never been a really fast runner. I’m more of an endurance runner. Actual marathons are a 26 mile run. They take a lot of training and a lot of recovery time afterward.”
Asked if running is in his blood or if he was on the track team in school, Lanier laughs off the idea.
“I hated running when I was in school,” says Lanier.
Running each day became a habit for Lanier while in the military, where PT (physical training) was mandatory. The regular physical activity stayed with him even after he left the service.
“I got out of the military about 45 years ago and kept running for health reasons,” says Lanier. “That was around the time the running craze was getting started.”
Lanier recalls one of the original first events he participated in, years ago in Waycross.
“It was a three mile run, but in those days nobody had running shoes, specifically just for running. They just wore whatever shoes they had. One of the guys that placed first or close to it ran barefoot. People running barefoot on pavement!”
Even then, running was still more of a healthy choice than anything else.
“One thing it did for me is the heart benefits. Cardio issues run in my family, but now I’m the only one not taking blood pressure meds.”
It wasn’t until 2000, after he had retired from working for the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice, Lanier began exploring the world of competitive running.
He says, “It’s hard to train for a marathon while working. After retiring, I had time to train and it takes a lot of training.”
And how does this almost octogenarian train for a marathon? “It consists of lots of things, but especially running at least every other day. To do a marathon, you need to run at least 30 - 40 miles each week.”
Lanier should know what he’s talking about. He has done the famous New York City marathon alongside 40,000 other runners and this October he plans to do the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA for the third time.
More often Lanier does smaller runs, such as the recent Sunshine Festival Run on St. Simons or the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, a 9.3 mile event that draws approximately 20,000 runners.
“In Jacksonville they have runs almost every weekend it seems like.” says Lanier. “You start to recognize other runners.”
The sense of community built up around running is the other great benefit Lanier praises as much as the obvious health benefits.
“I enjoy the social aspect of it — running clubs, meeting people at events. I’ve been running with some people for over 20 years now,” says Lanier. “I do it for the physical health, but the social element is very important. A lot of people are used to seeing me. Even if I don’t know them they drive by and honk or blow their horn and wave.”
When asked where that sense of belonging and brotherhood among runners comes from, Lanier says, “Runners are good people. They are respectful. They don’t cut comers. They put in the effort and they don’t cheat. If they win the race, they are proud and if they don’t, they just try harder next time.”
Nor does the competition get any easier as runners get on in years. Lanier says there are plenty of people his age out running and it still gets very competitive. “Because the ones that are left are very dedicated,” Lanier says with a smile.
Lanier doubtlessly includes himself among those dedicated runners. If you see him as you drive by, he welcomes a honk or a wave, but if you are signing up for the next event— expect him to give you a run for your money.
Above, Lanier takes part in the Steamtown Marathon Pennsylvania,, which he will run again this Oct.
