Everett Crum from Hilliard, Florida, is a relative newcomer to A.I.R. but not to running in Northeast Florida. He has dominated his age-group for many years and now, at the age of 72, continues to be a top condender among men over forty. We submitted a list of questions to Everett to find out some facts about his running career and hopefully learn the secret behind his success.
You have been running road races in northeast Florida for many years. Did you run track or cross-country in school or did you begin running as an adult?
I started running at age 45. I had never done any running and didn't know the River Run existed until its third year.
What made you decide to start running?
I was in Oklahoma (going to school) and all I did for exercise was drink beer. One day at my "favorite watering hole" a friend bet me a beer that I couldn't run a mile. I used to race motorcycles, which I thought was pretty strenuous, so I figured I could surely run a mile. Anyway, I only made it about a block and "fell-out," completely exhausted; I had to stop and get another "Bud." After that, I started running every afternoon and three months later I got up to one mile.
Why do you like to run?
Because it keeps me in good shape. Before I started running I weighed 200+ and had a pulse of 85. Now my weight is about 150, my pulse is 45 and I eat whatever... Running guarantees an improvement in your cardiovascular system.
When you worked at the Hilliard Air Traffic Control Center, were there any other runners to motivate you?
No, most of the guys I worked with just drank beer.
Did you follow a prescribed training routine or did you come up with your own system?
The only thing that I have ever done is endurance training (by endurance, I mean duration, running non-stop for a duration of time). On rural roads, the telephone poles are one-tenth of a mile apart. I increased one pole each week until I got up to 10 miles. I figured if I could run 10 slow, I could run 3 fast.
Do you do any cross-training (biking, swimming, etc.)?
No, only running. I don't have access to swimming, and it's too dangerous for biking where I live (you could get run over).
Do you train with others?
I hate running alone. For many years I used to go to Orange Park every Sunday morning to run with a group. But because of the distance, increased traffic, my age, and other factors, I very seldom go any more.
What were some of the earliest road races you ran?
I started running in 1979 and always ran at the "back of the pack." For the first couple of years, I only ran 2 mile races (back then they always had a 2 mile fun run instead of a 1 mile). One of my first races was the first Jax NAS run (I did the 2 miler) and marveled when I saw Frieda Wyner cross the finish line in the 10K and wondered if I could ever run that far.
Have you ever traveled away from Florida to compete?
I've done numerous races in Oklahoma and many in Georgia and South Carolina, and have done marathons in New York, Washington, and the toughest of all -- the Grandfather Mountain Marathon.
