10,740 straight days on the run

By John Kovach

S. Mark Courtney has run every day for more than 29 years, and will be honored.

YOUNGS-TOWN — At first glance, it seems impossible that there could be any other runner on earth who could have done what S. Mark Courtney of Grove City, Pa., has done.

Courtney’s running streak of 10,740 consecutive days as of Monday — he has run every day for more than 29 years — has put him in a class of his own.

Yet Courtney, 53, who also has competed in more than 140 marathons, including 30 at Boston, does not hold the No. 1 spot for consecutive days of running.

In fact, he ranks only 42nd according to the American Running Streakers Association.

The No. 1 spot belongs to Mark Covert, 58, of Lancaster, Calif., who had run 14,915 straight days as of last December, and will reach 41 consecutive years in July.

Nevertheless, Courtney’s feat ranks as a rarity among runners and a very difficult challenge that required determination and perseverance to achieve.

“There were days when I didn’t want to [run] and days I should have taken off, but I just wanted to keep my goal going,” said Courtney, who began his streak on Sept. 20, 1979, at age 23, and never ran less than a mile each day.

“I was just hoping to reach 1,000 days. But as you get into it you don’t want it to end. I know that sooner or later it will, but I will do what I can to keep it going. My next milestone is 30 years and then 11,000 miles.”

Courtney operates The Runner’s High, a company that provides road race timing and computer services. He has been a staunch supporter, director and official timer of the Youngstown Peace Race since the early years of the race, which was founded by Jack Cessna in 1975.

Because of his contributions to running, Courtney has been selected for induction into the Youngstown Roadrunners Hall of Fame, along with Guy Pizzoferrato of Austintown and Adrian Mangino of Niles.

The 11th annual induction ceremonies for the class of 2009 will be June 22 at the Birch Hill Cabin in Mill Creek Park.

The event will begin with a run of various distances followed by a banquet and the induction ceremony.

Courtney, who has been a physician’s assistant for 30 years for Family Healthcare in Grove City, Pa., is hoping that he eventually can become No. 1 in consecutive days of running.

“Most everyone in front of me is older. That gives me a good chance to get me closer to the top,” said Courtney, a graduate of Mercer High (1974), Alderson Broaddus College (1978) and Slippery Rock College (1979).

He also also holds the Boston Marathon’s unofficial record for the best average time for 30 marathons with 2 hours, 46 minutes.

But his 30 straight Boston Marathons still rank 13 behind leader Neil Weygandt, 62, of Drexel, Pa.

Courtney hopes his running streak will serve as an example of perseverance.

“I don’t encourage others to do it. It was something that I wanted to do, and I have been been fortunate to do it,” he said. “This will prove that with persistence, it can be done.”

Courtney’s fastest marathon was 2:28.48 in Chicago. His fastest Boston Marathon was 2:31.58.

Courtney also has got better with age: This year he ran Boston in 3:00.44, which is 1 minute, 38 seconds faster than he did in 1980 (3:02.14).

Pizzoferrato, an avid runner for 30 years, has been a valuable volunteer for the Peace Race by helping out in various jobs during the events.

Retired from General Motors in Lordstown, he also has worked many hours helping area high school, and college runners, and is a volunteer with the Youngstown State track team.

The Boardman High graduate is known as “The Trailmaster” because of his interest in running off-road races.

Pizzoferrato has focused on running courses that were of a cross country nature, and has traveled to western states to challenge the rugged trails, and also to Europe seeking unique races over uncommon terrain.

Mangino, a graduate of Niles High School and Youngstown State who earned his master’s from Loyola University in New Orleans, joined the Roadrunners in the late 1970s and served as the club’s news editor for two years.

A father of four who has completed eight marathons, Mangino also has coached the Cardinal Mooney High cross country team, guiding the Cardinals to a state championship in 1999.

kovach@vindy.com