As part of our runner profile series we’re pleased to introduce Bob Coffey! We hope you enjoy getting to know Bob (and his wife Jil) a bit better.
Bob and his wife Jil have lived in the Villages for nearly 10 years and they are on their fourth home now. They enjoy being one of the pioneers in the southern end of The Villages. But moving is not just a retirement hobby for the Coffey’s as they have lived in 27 different houses over the course of their marriage! They are also the parents of 2 children; and one of Bob’s best memories is running the Nashville half-marathon as a family.
Bob has not done much running with TVRC since COVID hit town, but he has been spotted during Sunday long runs in the company of some long time running friends and he is going to come to the next monthly meeting and share his knowledge and experiences as an experienced long distance runner. Bob claims to be an introvert, but it is rare to see Bob pass up a conversation about running with a friend or even someone he has just met. He has been one of the people who has made a real effort to make newcomers to the running club feel immediately at home.
Bob started running at age 30 because in his words “I was fat,” Well he’s no longer fat but he hasn’t stopped running. Bob started racing when he turned 40 and in typical, Bob-fashion, his first race was the Marine Corps Marathon. Nothing like starting your racing career with that marathon! But age 40 turned out to be a banner year for Mr.Coffey with marriage, marathon and fatherhood all for the first time!
Despite claiming to ‘retire’ from running at age 65, he’s run the majority of his marathons since then. Bob has a considerable running resume and a wealth of experience to share. He has completed 88 marathons, 3 ultra runs and a slew of Goofies, Dopeys and other crazy races. Bob’s most emotional race was qualifying for Boston; quite an accomplishment at age 65. He also got to run with Jil as she completed her first full marathon at the Savage 7 race in Ocala last year.
Something you may not know about Bob is that he’s had two careers. The first was the travel business where the ‘introverted’ Mr. Coffey was in marketing & sales, while sweeping the future mother of his children off of her feet. His second career was working for Taylor Swift managing the business side of her career. Yes that Taylor Swift, the really famous one, not the other one that lives in Wynn, Arkansas and works in the launderette.
Now you know a little more about the Coffeys. If you come across Bob on the trail or Jil whipping the ball across the pickle ball court, please don’t be shy and say hello.
The Villages Running Club 