This week we would like to highlight member #62 Steve Monk, and wish him a well-deserved and happy retirement.
Steve joined the Maniacs back in 2004 and has been with us for the past 15 years. He was the first member to join from, America’s Dairy land, Wisconsin and finished all 50 states back in 2005.
When asked how he got into running, Steve shared that he was, “more of a cyclist in the early 90’s but my work kept sending me overseas for weeks at a time and I couldn’t bring my bike. I signed up for a marathon training class in 1996 to give me some reason to run instead.” He trained for six months and ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon. “It hurt so much,” Steve commented, “I swore I would never run another one.” Somehow he joined the class again in the following year and when he ran it again it wasn’t nearly as bad. He has been tracking his running ever since and this week Steve will hit 37,000 total running miles. He says, “Running is just part of my day now. Every day, wherever I am, the first thing I do is go for a run.”
In his 15 years with the Maniacs, his list of marathons are extensive. One memorable marathon he shares is The Quad Cities Marathon in Moline, Illinois. “I ran the inaugural marathon in 1998 because I had a friend living there and I wanted to visit. Back then I was always looking for destination marathons. I ended up running the Quad Cities 5 years in a row when the race director formed the 'Interstate Road Warriors’ with the people that had run them all... this year I am signed up for my 22nd year in a row without missing.”
We asked Steve to share his favorite marathon, one that he would encourage other Maniacs to participate in and he said, “The Pikes Peak marathon was my favorite race for a long time until my last state, Hawaii and the Kilaueu Volcano Marathon. They were both beautiful and challenging but completing the 50 states put Kilaueu over the top." **Photo: Quilt made from at least one shirt from each of the 50 states
Thank you Steve for being a part of the Maniac family for so long and we wish you the happiest retirement.
Marathon Maniacs before anything else, is a community of runners. If you or someone you know has a story you would like to share, please submit them to info@marathonmaniacs.com.
Warm Wishes Steve!