Ron Fowler Runs Capital City Marathon #32

capital city marathon
Even at 67, Ron Fowler continues to run marathons.
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By Gail Wood

Capitol City Honda sponsorRon Fowler’s introduction to running was supposed to be brief, a 12-minute fling.

After graduating from Washington State University, he headed to Air Force officer training school. Prior to leaving, he received a letter in the mail saying to be admitted he had to run 1.5 miles under 12 minutes.

“I thought no big deal,” Fowler said.

capital city marathon
Ron Fowler will run in his 32nd Capital City Marathon on Sunday, May 17.

So, he laced up his high top Keds and ran the half mile to the gate from his doorstep at his family’s ranch in Rochester. He thought he was going to have a heart attack.

“I sat down and rested for 15 minutes and I walked back to the house,” Fowler said with a chuckle.

So began Fowler’s lifelong infatuation with running. Three months later, he ran a mile in 5 minutes and 20 seconds. He lapped everyone that ran the 1 ½ mile outing that day for the Air Force endurance test and made it into officer training. And Fowler, 45 years removed from that determined run around the track, is still running.

On Sunday, May 17, when Fowler stands at the starting line and waits for the starting gun to begin the Capital City Marathon, he’ll be in a familiar place. This will be his 32nd running of the race that started in 1981. He’s missed only two Capital City Marathons. He didn’t run the first one because he didn’t know about it. Then in 1999, he missed the race again because of an inner ear infection.

Fowler, a 1965 graduate from Rochester High School who still resides in Rochester today, has run the last 16 Capital City Marathons and 32 of 34.

“I love it,” Fowler said about the lure of the Capital City Marathon. “They do a tremendous job. It’s a great race.”

This will be marathon #255 for Fowler, who turns 68 in July. Unlike many of the runners who will toe up to the starting line of Sunday’s Capital City Marathon, Fowler’s training for the run didn’t begin three or four months ago. His preparation is ongoing, year around, day by day. As of March, he’s run every day for 32 straight years. He’s not missed a single day because of a cold, an ankle sprain or even an I-don’t-want-to attitude. It’s an amazing string, a testament to good health and commitment.

“I’m addicted to running. I admit it,” Fowler said. “I can imagine stopping the streak, but I don’t want to.”

capital city marathon
Ron Fowler stands with his wife, Nancy. They attended high school together.

His goal is to run every day for 35 straight years.

“By that point I’ll be 70. I will have run for every day for half of my life,” Fowler said. “That’s my goal. Then I’ll re-evaluate whether I want to keep it going. Of course I’ll want to keep it going. But we’ll see.”

Fowler, a retired insurance agent, runs at least two miles each day, usually doing his longer 10 to 13 mile runs on the weekend when his wife drives to Tumwater for her gym workouts. Fowler rides with her to Tumwater and runs home. Running isn’t something he dreads.

“I look forward to it,” Fowler said. “When I’m done, I think oh man I don’t get to run until tomorrow. I’m not into two-a-days.”

Not only does Fowler have the determination to run, he has an understanding wife. Nancy Fowler has run a 5K and a 10K, but Ron said she “prefers walking” and working out with Curves.

“She is very supportive of my running and increasingly involved in race support,” Ron said.

Fowler’s progression from 3Ks to 5Ks to 12Ks to marathons to some ultra runs was gradual. He’s even run in a 6-hour event and ran 38 miles. But that wasn’t his MO early on.

“I stuck with short distances, running no more than three miles, clear up to about ’78,” Fowler said.

After nine years of doing the shorter runs, a friend asked Fowler if he wanted to run the Seattle Marathon.

capital city marathon
Even at 67, Ron Fowler continues to run marathons.

“I said are you crazy?” Fowler said, chuckling at the memory. “But we trained for it and we ran it together.”

He finished his first marathon in 4 hours and 9 minutes. He remembers being “embarrassed” by that time. And rather than accept mediocracy, Fowler wanted to try again. He wanted to go faster. Fowler asked his friend to run another marathon with him. But his friend was one and done. Not Fowler.

“I felt I could do better,” Fowler said. “If you break three hours you qualify for Boston. I wanted to go to Boston.”

In 1986, Fowler ran a marathon under three hours for the first time. He did that for four straight years, qualifying for the Boston Marathon every year.

capital city marathon
Ron Fowler is a dedicated runner.

“I was running really well. And it was fun,” Fowler said. “I have never been near as fast since. But I’m still enjoying it. I tell people now I’m not into quality I’m into quantity. It bothers me I’ve slowed now significantly. But I’m still running and I’m still enjoying it. That’s all that matters now.”

At last year’s Capital City Marathon, Fowler finished in 4 hours and 24 minutes, keeping a 10:06 mile pace. On May 3, he finished the Tacoma City Marathon in 4:29 and he’ll run seven marathons this year. He’s run as many as 17 marathons in a year.

“That was too many,” Fowler said. “I just enjoy running. I can’t imagine not running when I can.”

To register for the Capital City Marathon, click here.

 

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