UAB Synopsis, Vol. 24, No. 14, April 18, 2005
Pediatric urologist Tony Herndon, MD, epidemiologist Gerald McGwin, PhD, and his running partner, pulmonologist John Kennedy, MD, were among the top 15 finishers in Birmingham's February Mercedes Marathon.
Of 674 runners who completed the marathon that wound through the streets of Birmingham, Homewood, and Mountain Brook, Dr. Herndon came in fourth, covering the 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 38 minutes. Dr. McGwin finished in 2 hours and 53 minutes, placing him 10th. Dr. Kennedy won the grand master's division, coming in first among runners 50 years and older, and finishing 15th overall with a time of 3 hours and 3 minutes.
Dr. Herndon's last race before the Mercedes Marathon was the grueling Pikes Peak Marathon. Runners begin at 6,235 feet, climb 13.4 miles to 14,110 feet, and then head back down. "The high altitude made it the hardest race I've ever run," says Dr. Herndon, who has been running for 20 years. "I finished in about 5 hours — twice my time in the Mercedes." Dr. Herndon will forgo another marathon this year if he secures a place in an even more challenging event, the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile run held in October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The Birmingham event was the first of 4 marathons Dr. Kennedy plans to run this year, and he hopes to finish one of those races in 3 hours or less. Dr. McGwin will complete 4 to 6 marathons in 2005. Both men will be among the 20,000 runners competing in the Boston Marathon on April 18.
Drs. McGwin and Kennedy frequently train together. "We ran the Mercedes as a training run. Although many see a marathon as something you recover from for weeks, I ran 100 miles the week before and 100 miles the week afterwards. John also jumped right back into training," says Dr. McGwin, who hopes to run the Boson Marathon in 2 hours, 50 minutes or faster.
This year, Dr. Kennedy hopes to break the 3-hour mark. He says the most enjoyable aspect of running is training with friends and credits Dr. McGwin as a tremendous training partner, helping him improve times and lengthen distances.