43
Runner McCusker keeps testing his limits
By Kevin Connelly
New Springfield
Cory McCusker started running more than four years ago as a way to stay in shape.
Last weekend, he completed a 100-mile run across Northeast Ohio.
The New Springfield man’s journey in between was one of unwavering commitment.
It was after the birth of his son that McCusker, 37, decided he needed to make a change. He had always been the energetic, thrill-seeking type who even enjoyed the occasional rush of jumping out of an airplane. In fact, one summer day in 1999 the occasional rush turned into a record-breaking performance, as he became the first person to skydive 100 times in a 24-hour period in the state of Ohio.
McCusker realized that wasn’t something he could keep doing with new responsibilites in his life, but he didn’t want to lose his vivacious spirit.
So he decided to take up running.
He started small, but it wasn’t long before McCusker had conditioned his body for the grueling 26.2 miles.
His goal was clear: run in the Boston Marathon.
As an emergency room nurse in Salem, he has an above-average understanding of the human body and its limits — something he believes drives his passion for the sport.
“I wanted to see what my body could endure,” McCusker said. “The human body will do whatever it’s trained to do. It’s such a miraculous form of machinery.”
After years of training, McCusker’s body responded in the most rewarding way possible: he qualified for the 2013 Boston Marathon.
“From a marathoner’s standpoint Boston is it, that’s all you’re thinking about,” he said. “The focus of all your training, of all the marathons you run, everything you do is about getting to Boston.”
He brought along a friend, and fellow nurse, for support that weekend. McCusker finished with a time of 3 hours, 26 minutes, 51 seconds — a result that quickly became an afterthought.
“When things did take place, we started heading that way, because we were thinking, ‘If this is as bad as everybody’s saying it is, they’re gonna need all the help they can get’,” the ER nurse recalled. “As we got closer we heard more accurate reports, but couldn’t do anything about it.”
The tragic and unfortunate events of that April afternoon only fueled the fire inside McCusker.
After completing the pinnacle of marathons just months before, he set out to achieve another lofty goal last weekend. He embarked on the Burning River 100, which runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park just outside Cleveland. It was the first time he had entered an event of that distance, but McCusker’s not one to shy away from a challenge.
Two weeks earlier he had done a 50-mile trail at Mohican State Park in preparation, but wound up injuring his left foot during the run. That became a concern for McCusker, because he knew the Burning River 100 was going to test every facet of his body.
“This type of race is what ultra runners call relentless forward motion,” he said. “Less speed and intensity, and a lot more durability.”
Relentless would be one word to describe McCusker that day, as his injured left foot turned out to be a severe fracture. It didn’t matter — McCusker made a commitment.
He finished in 22 hours, 56 minutes, 7 seconds.
Whether it’s skydiving 100 times in a day, or running 100 miles in less than that, Cory McCusker always manages to get the most out of his body. As an ER nurse, some would say it’s what he’s been programmed to do.
“If you give your body the training, it will respond, he said. “Trust in yourself, because your body will do amazing things.”
It seems all McCusker needs to achieve something amazing is a day’s time.