The Runners Reunion Podcast

Like many of us who started running in the 70’s and 80’s it was pure happenstance. After a stint on the west coast for college Kim Carlson Benner moved to the Boston area. After a brief stay in Salem her sister’s apartment near the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Mass Ave in Boston on the marathon course had an opening. Moving into the Eliot Lounge neighborhood Kim was quickly swept up by the aura of the Boston Marathon. After watching a guy run by dressed as a canoe she thought “If he can do it I can too”. At the time she did not realize she was taking a page out of Mimi Fallon’s playbook and entered the NYC marathon for her first race. Her progression from that first marathon was remarkable, especially considering she continued smoking a pack a day while occasionally bumming cigarettes off the Eliot Lounge doorman. Join us for Kim’s story of love, friendship, and her single minded focus that resulted in qualifying for the 1996 Olympic Trials marathon.

On December 3, 1995, the US Cross Country Championships were held at fabled Franklin Park. Reuben Reina was the heavy favorite to repeat his title from the year before. His plan was simple - stay with the leaders, unleash his signature kick and win two in a row. Local fan favorite Brad Schlapak and Boston’s own version of Quenton Cassidy had different ideas. Franklin Park was his domain, having raced there more than 30 times running for Narragansett Regional High School and Northeastern University. Join us on Brad’s journey to that day in Franklin Park from his youthful aspirations to become the next “Rocky” to elite runner and master craftsman in restoring antique clocks. Brad Featured in the New York Times Steeple Chase Clock

Mimi Fallon’s first road race was the NYC marathon in 1989. She entered the lottery for a number on a whim thinking it would be a long shot to be selected. As fate would have it, she was selected and off to NYC with a 10 mile long run on her limited resume. Remarkably, she covered the distance with an impressive time of 3:09! Join us on her journey through the running boom years and beyond as we discuss many legendary mentors, notable track clubs and the other half of this fan favorite running family Jimmy!

When Title 9 was signed into law in 1972 little did Janice Cataldo know how it would impact her life and the contributions she would make to one of the storied women’s track and cross country teams in the country. Growing up with five sisters in a traditional italian family learning to be a good homemaker was the order of the day in the early 1970’s. As fate would have it, a gym teacher at St. Xavier High School in Providence spotted her running talent in class during her junior year. Janice took his advice to join the track team and quickly excelled earning All-State honors in high school and wanted to continue competing in college. As a freshman at Providence College in 1976, however, there was not a women’s x-country or track program. With help from Janice and the quickly changing tide that resulted from Title 9, PC fielded their first x-country team in 1977. By the time she graduated the cross country team qualified for the national meet and the track team boasted 20 teammates. We hope you enjoy this episode as Janice recounts her journey through the early days of Title 9, the running boom and the positive impact it has had on her personal and professional life.

In the 1970s and 1980s Johnson & Wales AC (JWAC) was the dominant road running club in Rhode Island. Prior to becoming a four year college (now a university) JWAC had one of the top Jr. College teams in the country featuring standouts Hollie Walton, Roland Davide, Bob Hodge and Vin Fleming to name a few. The then 4 year College team transitioned to an all comers club in the late 1970's during the height of the running boom. Bobby Doyle and Hollie Walton, fresh from the collegiate ranks at UTEP, led the charge and soon other top runners followed including Tom Grundy, Mark Skinkle, John Treacy, Mick O'shea, Mick Byrne, Ray Treacy, Doctor Paul Thompson, Tom and Bobby Ratcliffe and many other top runners from RI. At the height of its dominance the club had over 70 plus members of various skill levels including the Elite runners. This also included several team titles over the years around the country at almost every distance including a 50k in Brattleboro Vt in 1978 and third in the TAC National XC meet held in Franklin Park in 1984. The driving force behind the club was the founder and original coach Colonel John McNulty. His distinguished military career included the Bronze Star and three Army Commendation Medals for Meritorious Service, and the Combat Infantry Badge. The Colonel was also an accomplished marathoner long before it became a sport for the masses. As a boy in Baltimore he won his division in several road races at various distances. In this episode we discuss the legacy of the Colonel and JWAC with his son Chief Patrick McNulty. We will also discuss Pat’s own experiences as a runner, accomplished surfer and career in law enforcement.

Our guest spent his formative years in the snow belt of Upstate NY. Glimpses of raw talent showed through championship success running on skis. After a successful collegiate career, the Clarion Call of Boston proved irresistible and he moved east, initially rooming with punk rockers before moving to the infamous River Street AC Commune. He went from working the cash register to a professional role at the upstart New Balance Shoe Company. An original running outlaw, pilloried for contesting antiquated notions of amateurism; a contagion who risked contaminating entire fields he remained true in his belief that professional athletes should be able to accept money openly versus groveling under the table. This proved to be a prescient attitude years ahead of its time. A relative unknown, he upstaged the favorites to dramatically win the 1984 US Olympic Marathon Trials, and backed it up as the first American in Los Angeles. More success followed including a second Olympic Team berth in 1988. A 26 year resident of New Zealand, he recently retired as CEO of Athletics New Zealand, the country's USATF equivalent. Sit back and enjoy the following conversation with Pete Pfitzinger. Check out the 1984 Olympic Marathon Trials Finish!

Our last guest of the season is Gerry Beagan, one of the founders of the Runners Reunion event. Gerry’s story is perhaps one of the best examples of how the running boom of the 70’s impacted the lives of the 25 million Americans who fueled the growth of competitive road running. By chance Gerry was at Fenway to watch the World Series bound 1975 Red Sox on Patriot’s Day and spilled out into the street to watch the finish of the marathon to see running’s common man Bill Rodgers float by in a homemade T-Shirt to win the race in an American Record. The west wind that day also swept Gerry right into the thick of the Running Boom. Running from that point on became his passion that inspired him to complete more than 100 marathons, countless ultra marathons, organize many of the area’s iconic road races, coaching local runners to PRs and publish a magazine and book on New England Road Races. Like many of us Gerry was always a fixture at post race social events providing sage advice on almost any topic that many of us appreciate to this day.