We’re pleased to highlight Frank Maguire in our series of runner profiles. We hope you enjoy getting to learn a bit more about Frank. Unfortunately, Frank will not be able to make our membership meeting but hopefully we can have him join us some other time!
Frank is originally from Baltimore, MD, but he has lived in many different places, including: NJ, PA, NC, SC and finally he landed here in FL because he and Donna wanted to live an active life in retirement. Their first retirement stop was in Sun City, SC and Frank felt that everyday there was “déjà vu all over again” – with each day just morphing into the next. Well, that desire to be active has certainly been achieved here in The Villages.
Frank’s work certainly demanded fitness; he worked for AT&T in corporate security. He travelled extensively providing protection for corporate executives. The days could be grueling and required that he always remain on guard. Frank found that running maintained his fitness and also could be meditative, and he really enjoyed that aspect of it!
He quickly took to distance running. In fact, his very first race was the Baltimore Marathon! No 5Ks or 10Ks for Frank. He followed the footsteps of his older brother and gave the marathon a try. Frank was a fast runner who enjoyed putting in the long miles necessary to run marathons. He went on run the New York Marathon and has run the Boston Marathon four times! And he has now completed 37 marathons in his 40 years of running!
Injury brought Frank’s focus to ultrarunning. Now most people who suffer through two knee operations, might think it is time to hang up their running shoes. But not Frank! He had done his first ultramarathon in 2001 and his surgeries in 2003 and 2004 intensified his focus on running very long distances, up very steep hills.
Frank completed the Umstead 100 Ultra trail run twice. Both times he finished in under 24 hours in and once he won his age group! After his first run he was awarded a belt buckle signifying that he completed the race in 24 hours. After his second run, the scorekeeper and race director informed him that he already had his belt buckle, so there would not be another one despite breaking the 24-hour mark again.
He also ran the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie in NC twice. The race starts at 6pm and is a 50-miler. It’s run in the middle of nowhere with no porta-potties, no mile markers, no splits and no spectators. During one race there was a huge storm – thunder, lightning, and rain. He saw car lights approaching and thought the race director had come to pick him up. Instead, the director yelled out, “be careful, snakes come out during storms!” and drove off. Frank finished that race.
Frank ran the Mountain Masochist Trail Run – 50-miler. The race is time-limited; you must complete the course in 12 hours. But, the mile-markers are mismarked, the water stops are unlabeled, and volunteers typically will not provide any information about where you are on the course. But Frank found a couple of volunteers who told him he had 3 miles to go (he thought it was more like 11) and that it was all downhill. How many times have we all heard that “near” the finish, “you are almost done and it is all downhill.” Well, this time, surprisingly, it was true!
Frank has completed 39 ultra-marathons and if he can overcome some nagging injuries, he looks forward to completing more races. He has also done a couple of sprint triathlons, but that is another story…
The Villages Running Club 