Wineglass Celebrity 2001: Interview with Joe Henderson

The professor of Running 101 is coming to the Twin Tiers.

Joe Henderson, the author of 22 popular running books, a monthly Runner's World magazine columnist (Joe Henderson's Journal), and the writer and publisher of his own online newsletter, "Running Commentary", has been selected as the featured celebrity for the 20th anniversary edition Oct. 7 of the Wineglass Marathon and Three-Person Relay.

Our nationally known 26.2-mile event, which begins in Bath and finishes at the Corning Inc. headquarters in downtown Corning, will be co-produced by personnel of Corning Hospital/Founders Pavilion and Guthrie Healthcare System.

During an active 43-year running career, Henderson, a resident of Eugene, Ore., has raced over 700 times at distances of less than 100 meters to more than 100 kilometers.

The 57-year-old member of the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame, is the only two-time winner of the RRCA Journalism Award, and has served as executive director of the International Runners Committee.

Local ultra runner and marathoner Cathy Troisi, of Seneca Falls, is a friend of Henderson's, and campaigned hard to get him to Wineglass. Credit Troisi and Wineglass Running Club president Bill Taylor for sealing the deal.

"Joe Henderson is 'every runner.' His running longevity allows him to be a representative of the sport at all levels," said Troisi, a member of the Wineglass and Finger Lakes running clubs. "With a 43-year history, he's had his heyday in running, and now enjoys a more mellow approach which he promotes to his readership. There will be a mutual camaraderie between Joe and Wineglass, because he prefers smaller marathons which allow him a more personal interaction with the runners.

"Although I'm not a native of the Twin Tiers, I consider Wineglass a hometown marathon. Joe is a long time personal friend and I've been telling him about Wineglass for years," she said. "I'm thrilled his path will finally cross with ours' at Wineglass in October."

Henderson graciously allowed me to interview him via the Internet. Here are some of the questions and answers we exchanged last week:

Q: Why did you select Wineglass?

A: "The race selected me. I sit by the phone, mailbox and computer, awaiting invitations rather than soliciting them. Cathy apparently said the right words to the right people with the race. So here I come on a rare trip east of the Mississippi."

Q: What kind of experience are you anticipating on your first trip to the Finger Lakes wine country?

A: "Surprising. I've never been anywhere near your area, so whatever happens there will be new for me. One of my favorite trips each year is to the Napa Valley wine country of California. We'll see how the two compare -- the areas, that is, not the wine."

Q: Do you intend to run the marathon or the relay?

A: "Definitely not the marathon. I run this distance sparingly, and it's such a big effort that it isn't fair to the hosts or myself that I focus on the race instead of my main reason for being there. The relay is a possibility, though we'll have to see what these touchy old feet and legs say as race day comes closer."

Q: What do you enjoy about visiting marathons across the U.S., and talking to runners?

A: "Equal parts meeting up with old friends and making new ones. They never fail to supply me with good memories and story material."

Q: What kind of projects and books are you currently working on? I understand you're conducting a Running 101 class in Oregon, for example.

A: "I'm teaching a beginning running class (a first for me) at the University of Oregon this term, and will move into beginning racing in the spring. The teaching will continue in the fall, with that term starting the same week as Wineglass. In writing, the big project last year was co-authoring "The Running Encyclopedia," with Rich Benyo, editor of Marathon & Beyond magazine."

Q: Do you have a list of publications, and which ones would you like to promote at Wineglass?

A: "I'll bring along the most recent books (published by Human Kinetics). By age, youngest first, these are: "Running 101," "Best Runs," "Marathon Training," "Better Runs," and "Did I Win?"

Q: I hear you love small town marathons. What is it about smaller events that appeal to you over the current mega-marathon boom?

A: "These events take me back to where I started. In the 1960s, all races were small, and most were run in small towns or the country (because cities wouldn't let their streets be taken over by runners), and all runners knew each other. I don't say everything was better then; now is the 'good old days.' But I still favor the smaller-time, lower-frills events."

Q: What do you feel is the secret to your longevity in running?

A: "I'll celebrate my 43rd running anniversary on April Fool's Day. Maybe that day figures somehow in my longevity. Seriously, I think I've been lucky enough to learn to like running enough to never want to stop. That's my main goal: to keep going. And, I've adopted running practices that make this possible. Mainly, I pace myself -- not just in individual runs but over weeks, months and years -- trying not to do anything that would threaten this 'race of a lifetime'."

Q: Describe briefly the content of "Running Commentary"?

A: "This is my formerly monthly (printed), now weekly (e-mailed) newsletter. It's all the material that "Runner's World" won't let me publish. That isn't to say I'm censored there, only that the magazine's space is limited. "Running Commentary" has, since 1982, let me write much more for a much smaller audience. The best of this material appears on my Web site: http://www.joehenderson.com."

Q: As a prolific writer of the sport, is there anything new under the sun when it comes to running? I know you have training books. Where do you get your ideas, and is there anything at all you could write about that people don't already know?

A: "That's for readers to decide! I figure I'll have run out of material when I can't find anything to talk about with runners. That isn't likely to happen, because runners love to talk. My writing is an extension of our conversations."

Q: As a voice of reason in the sport, what current trends do you see in running? What's hot? Where is the sport going in the next 10 years? Besides marathons, will it be in the direction of ultra running? Will people slow down and smell the roses?

A: "Whew, that's a big one! The easy answer is: All of the above and more. The story of running in all the years that I've been doing it and writing about it is the sport's spread -- to women as well as men, to a wider age span, to longer distances, to slower and less serious people. I see no sign that the boundaries will shrink. Running has gone through two "booms" -- first in the late 1970s, then again in the late '90s. The second one is now leveling off, but that doesn't mean it will drop off."

Q: Sounds like good news for runners. We all look forward to your visit here in the Finger Lakes this fall.

-- Diane Sherrer