Charlie Grotevant: Boston Marathon finisher in 3:12:20!

I'm a 63 (2-18-42) year old farmer from Buckingham, Illinois who works in the heat and dirt of the farm.  I also run and bicycle.  Through childhood years I experienced digestive disturbances and bowel problems.  The bowel problems became more frequent and more severe during my 30's.  I was diagnosed with chronic ulcerative colitis in 1977, at the age of 35.  From 1977 through 1983 I experienced many flareups of the disease, greatly limiting my ability to conduct the physical activities of farming.  The ever-larger doses of prescription drugs used to help my body fight the disease were starting to bring on undesirable side-effects. 

In the spring of 1983, I began running in the hope that a better physical fitness level would help my body defend itself against the flareups.  The cardiovascular conditioning I gained that summer was evidenced by a dramatic decrease in my pulse rate and blood pressure.  I felt better than I had in several years.  Another severe flareup occurred, and I made the decision to have the diseased large intestine removed from my body.

My new life began on November 10, 1983 because of my ileostomy.  I resumed running in March of 1984 as a testament to my healthy body.  All I needed was fresh air and the time to run down country roads thanking God for my new life, for me to feel true happiness. 

My running evolved into road racing in 1985 with membership in a running club.  Now I belong to 5 running clubs and have competed in more than 800 road and trail races, including 13 marathons, with the ostomy pouch taped to my gut.  I have continued to push my body while searching for its limits and have logged more than 37,000 miles since 1984.  The ageing process is becoming the limiting factor in my running, not the ileostomy.  Four days of running, averaging 30 miles per week is the norm for me now. 

I have never won a race, but I have amassed numerous age group awards.  As I'm getting older, the age group awards are present at nearly every outing.  Most of my Personal Best's occurred at ages 48 and 49; and a 3:12:20 finish in the Boston Marathon in 1991 was one of my very best races.  My fastest 5K was 18:52, 10K in 39:52 and 10 miles in 65:25, all coming in 1990.  The two highlight times for me in 2005 were a half marathon in 1:42:28 and a 4 miler in 27:35. 

As I mentioned previously, I also bike, but only in the summertime to prepare for a 3-Day ride totaling 280 miles.  I also participate in a few group rides each year, but my real love is running.  I'm seriously considering the Get Your Guts In Gear 3-Day ride in the Pacific Northwest during August of 2006.