Robert Powderly Still Active After All Of These Years

Running Habits Have Changes, But Positive Memories Remain

  • Thursday, July 30, 2015
  • John Hunt

It didn’t take long for Robert Powderly to get fully involved in the running boom back in the late 70s.

Millions of Americans joined the parade back in those days where running was their main source of physical fitness and Powderly was a big part of it.

Powderly is now 68 and retired from U.S. Pipe where he worked in the accounting department.  He’s also had a couple of serious back surgeries, including one on April 1 of this year where doctors performed four disc fusions in his neck.

He hasn’t been given the green light to resume his running, but he’s walking almost nine miles a day as he tries to keep his weight under control.

But for a personable guy who played football at East Ridge High School, church league softball and basketball simply weren’t enough.  Following the influence of a good friend, he decided to enter the Run For Extra Life 10K in 1979, that popular 6.2-mile race that started at UTC and finished behind Eastgate Mall.

And he’s been at it ever since, literally running hundreds of races and making tons of new friends every where he’s run.

“I played around with running when I was in the Army, but a buddy of mine talked me into running the Run for Extra Life in 1979,” Bob said while relaxing in the lobby of the downtown YMCA earlier this week.

“I had never run a race before and had never run more than three miles, but I signed up anyway.  It was kind of tough going up that hill to the tunnel at McCallie, but that downhill was nice in the second half.  I fell in love with running after that,” he added.

“I got competitive with running and my goal was to catch Joe McGinness.  I think the only time I ever beat him was one time when he was hurt.  I finally beat him and he was about 30 years older than me,” Powderly laughed.

Shortly afterward, he got involved in the Chattanooga Track Club and ran every race on the schedule in 1980.

He also got involved as a race director and served for eight years in that capacity for the Chickamauga Chase 15K. 

He later was involved in all of the Sports Barn events, including the four-mile Bridge Run. He still helps out with the popular Turkey Trot 8K that’s held on Thanksgiving morning.

“The Chickamauga Chase was one of my favorites as you don’t have to worry about traffic as much, but I ran that race long before I directed it.  And I used to help Shelton Goldblatt every year at the Happy Valley Half-Marathon.  I’d help him get his water tables set up before I ran,” Bob nodded.

“I decided I wanted to run longer distance and Louis Priddy told me about that group that ran on Saturday mornings at Chickamauga Park. 

“I ran a marathon my third year and had been training for Chickamauga.  I pulled a muscle and couldn’t run, but I ran the St. Louis Marathon on the spur of the moment the next year in 3:12 and ran Chickamauga six days later in 3:48,” he recalled, noting that his personal best of 2:53 also came at Chickamauga in 1988 when he was the track club’s Triple Crown winner.

“I only ran 20 marathons and there were six or seven years between my 19th and 20th.  Shelly Camp was training for her first one and I said I’d run with her, even though I had only done one 15-mile long run.  I wasn’t sure I’d finish, but I think I was around 3:17 that day,” he tried to remember that race so long ago.

Powderly’s first back surgery took place in 1991 and that forced him to cut back on his running.  That’s when he got into serious cycling.  Last year was his best year on wheels when he averaged 100-200 miles a week and totaled almost 4,000 miles for the year.

He’s done the ride across Iowa twice, the first time in 1993 and the last time in 2014.  He also did Bike Florida last year, a week-long event that covered some 450 miles.

He’s still recovering from April’s surgery, but he was able to do the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta on July 4th although he walked the whole way.  Despite the latest setback, he still has his sights set on a comeback early next year.

“I just love Peachtree as it’s a great event.  It’s really too big to enjoy like we used to as they try to keep you moving past the finish, but I’ve probably done that race 35 times,” he said with a sense of pride.

“I haven’t been cleared to start running again, but I’ve got to get in shape for a half-marathon in New Orleans in late January.  And I might consider the Waterfront Triathlon in June, but I usually work it, so I don’t know.

 So what are his immediate plans?

“I was running 12-14 miles a week before my surgery, but my runs aren’t pretty anymore.  I get PRs every time I go out.  You know, I never took this long to do this race before,” he laughed.

“In 2017, I’ll be 70 and I’m wanting to do the Half-Ironman since I’ll be 70.3 years old.  The Lord willing, I’m planning to do it if nothing else happens.

“Running is the reason I’m still alive.  It’s been my life for a long time, but I worked so I could run.  They’ll probably have to put me in a wheelchair before I stop.

“But we were so gung-ho about running in the early days.  We ran in rain, sleet and snow and we fed off each other’s energy.  And we took a bunch of road trips where we had some wonderful times together,” he concluded.

As is the case with so many of us as the years have passed on by, we aren’t able to run like we used to.  But that doesn’t keep Bob Powderly from trying.

Running has been a wonderful thing for him and he never wants it to end.  And even if he has to change from running to walking, that’s not a bad thing either as long as he can remain active.

(This is the 61st in a series of features on runners in Chattanooga.  If you know someone who would make an interesting story, email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)

 

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