We’re pleased to highlight Bob Jennings in our series of runner profiles. He has been a mainstay of The Villages Running Club since early in its inception. We hope you enjoy getting to learn a bit more about Bob!
For Bob Jennings sport is relational – the coaching, the camaraderie, the mutual support and encouragement and the sharing of knowledge between friends. Two sports where Bob checks all the boxes are running and swimming!
Bob started running as a newlywed in 1979. He met his wife, Sue, also an athlete and swimmer, when they worked as lifeguards together. She had taken her sister’s shift at the pool where Bob was a manager and two years later, they married. Sue supported Bob in his running and his coaching which started even before they met. His first coaching gig was in baseball when he and his friends took on the role of coaches for some young kids who didn’t make the local baseball team, but still wanted to play the game. Coaching became a mainstay of Bob’s life as he coached those kids in 1969 and has continued to coach until today where he serves as a swimming coach at the Villages Adult Swim Team.
Coaching was always fit for Bob’s personality and career which included teaching in Montgomery County, Maryland for 32-years. He taught for 18 years in elementary school, 8 years in middle school as a math teacher, and 6 years in an alternative High School where he did whatever it took to help the kids graduate. After school he coached swimming and soccer and he had the opportunity to coach his own three boys, Patrick (39), Ryan (36) and Kevin (34). He enjoyed building relationships with those that he coached and always looked forward to the opportunity to watch them experience success.
When Bob first started running, he was a solitary runner who enjoyed the miles alone, but then he started running with a group in the mid-80s and got hooked on the pleasure of friendships made on the run. He even did some triathlons with the group. He also completed his first marathon in 1989 after training with his running group. Bob has completed 15 marathons, two 50-milers and numerous half-marathons. But most importantly to Bob, he has formed numerous friendships while on the run.
When I first arrived in The Villages and joined The Villages Running Club, I used to tag along with Bob, Dean Melton and Bill Payne and listen to them ribbing each other and sharing their lives. I was usually a step behind until the last mile when Bob always pushed the pace and dropped me on the bridge…and it was a big accomplishment for me when I could hang on until the very end of the run. But the coach in Bob recognized the accomplishment too and knew that he was helping all of us improve with that hard last mile!
Since that time, three years ago, Bob has battled through what is often a serious injury for runners, a stress fracture of the femur, and has returned to top form. He credits the support of his running friends, particularly Alice Kelly and Mary Lou Marcotte, who helped him avoid over-training as he returned to running and then ran alongside him as he completed all four legs of the virtual Gasparilla Distance Classic here in The Villages.
Bob is also well-known for his ability to provide support for other runners as they train for special events. As Lynn Ruis trained for her marathon he ran many training legs as she put in her 16-22 mile runs. As Mary Lou returned to running from a foot injury, he helped develop her training plan and provided coaching alongside her during her recovery runs. Bob really enjoys running with others and has completed Disney World half-marathons with two of his boys and he looks forward to 2023 when his third son plans to join him for the half.
For Bob Jennings running is all about relationships!
The Villages Running Club 