SANFORD — David Theoharides could spend today like any other day, watching over the day-to-day operations of the Sanford school department, sitting at a desk in a comfortable office space.
Instead, Theoharides, the superintendent of Sanford schools, will be among 27,000 runners competing in the 26-mile Boston Marathon, taking place this morning.
Theoharides, 58, is no rookie when it comes to marathons, participating in the Boston Marathon last year, as well as the New York City Marathon in November of last year and the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington. He ran his first marathon in Chicago two years ago.
He has spent 20 weeks, logging an estimated 800 miles of training in preparation for the event. However, two unknown factors have crept into Theoharides’ plans, one that he’s been able to keep an eye on, and one that is out of his control.
Late into his training, Theoharides began to have discomfort in his ankle, not an uncommon injury to long-distance runners. With the help of the Sanford High School training staff, he’s kept the discomfort at bay to participate in today’s race.
The other factor, one that is most serious, is the weather. The forecast calls for temperatures to reach as high as 86 degrees today in Boston, far higher than ideal running conditions. For long-distance runners, going 26 miles in 86 degrees, running on pavement, can quickly take the steam out of any runner. Theoharides, once hoping to best his time from last year’s race, is now simply hoping to finish the race.
“The strategy for me is survival tomorrow,” Theoharides said. “It’s not to set a personal record or even the likelihood to qualify for another Boston Marathon, that’s become pretty remote now. A typical Boston run, the strategy isn’t to kill yourself in the first six miles, because it’s all downhill. You’re at the peak of your training, your adrenaline is high, you just want to go out like a jack rabbit. If you go out and do that, you’re pretty much wasted by the time you get to the halfway point. (Today’s) strategy is to run smart.”
Theoharides began running long distance in 2006 when he first moved to the Sanford area, joining a fellow group of runners who routinely trained.
“I remember so many of them were talking about competing in Boston,” Theoharides said. “I think at that time I hadn’t run more than five or six miles, I was just in awe of them. I think I ran with them for about three years before I actually had the guts to try (a marathon).”
For Theoharides, the allure of long-distance running is meeting the challenge, both physical and mental.
“There’s that personal account of whether or not you can do it,” Theoharides said. “There’s another part that people don’t really think about; it’s quite a mental challenge. There’s a lot of emotional stamina when everything is hurting as bad as it is ”“ especially around mile 20, you just want to die out there – in Boston, that’s on top of Heartbreak Hill. There’s still six miles to Boston from there.”
Theoharides said he’s received a great deal of support from his coworkers in preparation for the race.
“I’ve got a lot of people saying be careful (because of the heat),” Theoharides said. “A lot of people are saying, ”˜Run David, run,’ a lot like ”˜Run, Forrest, run’.”
Theoharides will actually not be the only superintendent from Maine participating in the marathon, as Maine School Administrative District 22 (Hampden)superintendent Rick Lyons will also be competing. Theoharides joked that running with Lyons could help in the final kick of the race.
“The plan, normally, is not to run with anybody,” Theoharides said. “But with the heat tomorrow, I think it’s going to be me and Rick running across (the finish line) and it’s going to be who can pick it up and say this school district beat the other school district.”
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 323.
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