Vancouver (Washington) Man Runs the Boston Marathon at 67

Marathon Man - Columbian.com

Marathon No. 289 was decidedly memorable for Jim Scheer, though he would rather forget the experience.

The occasion was the 113th Boston Marathon — which is usually heady stuff for even casual runners.

The trouble was that digestive distress just days before the race left Scheer without the reserve strength usually recommended for a hilly, 26.2-mile jog.

And so, his ninth go at the famous race was by far his slowest.

For five hours the 67-year-old plugged along, unable to enjoy the revelry along the course as he struggled to proceed.

A runner does not finish close to 300 marathon races by quitting at the first sign of discomfort. Still, Scheer's effort on April 20 is a good example of the separation between a casual runner and a driven one.

Scheer said he was so ill he did not want to look at food for several days prior to flying to Boston. But he was not sick enough to consider sitting out his favorite race.

And once he started, he was not about to quit.

Which pretty much sums up Jim Scheer and his road to completing almost 300 marathons.

It is a journey that started on March 13, 1968.

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