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garycohenrunning.com
be healthy • get more fit • race faster
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"All in a Day’s Run" is for competitive runners,
fitness enthusiasts and anyone who needs a "spark" to get healthier by increasing exercise and eating more nutritionally.
Click here for more info or to order
This is what the running elite has to say about "All in a Day's Run":
"Gary's experiences and thoughts are very entertaining, all levels of
runners can relate to them."
Brian Sell — 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathoner
"Each of Gary's essays is a short read with great information on training,
racing and nutrition."
Dave McGillivray — Boston Marathon Race Director
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| Greg Meyer is the last American man to win the Boston Marathon, earning the victory in 1983 with a time of 2:09:00. He also was victorious at the 1980 Detroit Marathon and 1982 Chicago Marathon. His road racing success spanned many distances as he set 10 American records at 8k, 10k, 15k, 10 miles and 25k. Greg also set World Records for 15k and 10 miles. He was named the 1983 United States Distance Runner of the Year. In Cross Country racing he was the 1978 United States National Champion. He is also a sub-4-minute miler with a 3:59.1 indoor clocking in 1978. Collegiately at the University of Michigan, Greg was a two-time Big Ten champion in the steeplechase and four-time All American -- three times in cross country and once in track. At Grand Rapids West Catholic High School he was the 1973 Michigan Class B State Mile Champion with a 4:14.9 clocking. Greg’s outstanding career resulted in his being inducted into the following Halls of Fame: National Distance Running, ESPN Road Racing, Road Runners Club of America, and Grand Rapids Sports. He was one of the founding members of A.R.R.A, the first athletic union of road racing athletes which led to prize money for runners, open competition and eventually an open Olympic Games. He resides near Rockford; north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and since early 2008 has served as Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Aquinas College. Previously, Greg was the University of Michigan’s Director of Major Gifts for the Greater Michigan Region where his team raised over $125 million for the University. He was born in Grand Rapids to parents Rita and Jay. He has one older sibling, Matthew Meyer and three children, Nicholle (1981), Jacob (1983) and Daniel (1986). |
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| GCR: | Over the course of your running career you experienced many successes and turned in outstanding performances from high school to college to post-collegiate racing on the track, in cross country and on the roads. Yet most runners remember you for your 1983 Boston Marathon Championship. Other than an Olympic championship, is there anything else that would be more prestigious than a Boston Marathon victory? |
| GM | In the United States I don't think anything compares to winning the Boston Marathon or an Olympic Championship. With all the tradition of Boston, other marathons such as New York and Chicago, while great events, just can't match the history. The BAA has done a great job in recent years of strengthening the event to ensure its place in the top tier of marathons worldwide. On the international stage, I think the London Marathon may have surpassed Boston in prestige for a win. The London Marathon organization has built a model for the race that brings in the world's best athletes and their charity involvement is brilliant! |
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| GCR: | Sadly, for United States distance running you are also known as 'The last American man to win the Boston Marathon.' With the recent resurgence in fast marathoners in the U.S., do you feel an American man can once again claim the laurel wreath? |
| GM | I believe the time is coming for an American man to win Boston again. I love being a former winner of the race, but am tired of being called the 'last American man to win'. Both Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein have a shot at it. Just having one or both compete in the Boston marathon would make it so much more exciting. The hard part is that London, which is at the same time of year, has so much more money to spend on appearance fees and prizes, and the course is flat and fast. Couple that with what Boston can do to your legs... some people would be hesitant to run if London was recruiting you as well. I think Ryan Hall has the itch to win Boston... and that's what an American needs... it has to be a mission to win the race. |
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| GCR: | In the three months leading up to Boston 1983, you turned in outstanding efforts at the Orange Bowl 10k (28:12), Gasparilla 15k (43:07), Cherry Blossom10 Mile ( 46:13) and on the track at the Colonial Relays (27:53). How did these races help your confidence and how slow did they make the marathon pace feel? |
| GM | Two of those races, the Orange Bowl 10K and the Gasparilla 15K were great races, but defeats. In the 10K, I thought I had Salazar on the ropes at 4 miles, but didn’t press it and he recovered to beat me at the end in American record time. At Gasparilla, Rob DeCastella beat me in world Record time. I would have set the record, and did set an American Record, but was second. Both loses, rather than hurting my confidence, actually helped me. I felt I could have and should have beaten Alberto that day, and in losing to Deke, I got more motivated to finish off my training. I knew I was close. The 10 mile World record and my PR for 10k in the final weeks before Boston let me know the training had all come together.
It was hard to imagine anyone running away from me in the marathon with the training and race experience I had just come through. Interestingly, the pace on marathon day was strange. I felt sluggish the first 8-10 miles. It may have felt too slow, yet we were running at record pace thanks to Benji Durden. After half way it started to feel like a marathon should.
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| GCR: | Two years earlier you led the 1981 Boston Marathon for a while before fading and eventually finishing in 11th place in 2:13:07. Often we learn more from failure than success. What did you learn that day and how did it affect your preparation for the 1983 Boston Marathon? |
| GM | I felt I was running well going into the 1981 Boston Marathon and I thought my instincts during the race were spot on. I stayed out of trouble early and moved up to the lead around 17 miles. Then I learned what it was like to be part of a great field in the marathon. Toshiheko Seko, Bill Rodgers and Craig Virgin all went by me like I was standing still. I ran and walked home in a 2:13, but came away thinking all I needed to do was to get stronger to be able to handle the pace and distance. It just took me two years to get to that point. |
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| GCR: | As the 1983 Boston Marathon developed, you were in a lead group including Bill Rodgers, Paul Cummings and Benji Durden. Just after halfway Durden surged and built a lead of 15-20 seconds. At any time did you feel that he would run away with the race or did you feel comfortable and that it was a matter of “when” you would reel him in? |
| GM | Benji and I had an interesting history. We always didn’t get along. I knew he wanted to nail me badly that year at Boston. I know he resented that I was the race favorite going in as he didn’t think I had earned a “marathon reputation” yet. When we passed half way in 1:04:08 (I still remember splits as they were called out), I thought we were running fast enough. We were pulling away from the field. In spite of not always getting along with Benji, I respected his ability. Once he surged to a lead, I had to make the decision to not let him get so far ahead that I wouldn’t be able to get it back. There was no guarantee he would die, so I needed to be close enough for my own surge. Once we turned into the hills at the firehouse, he started to come back to me in chunks. When I pulled up alongside of him between 18-19 miles, I could tell he was going through a bad patch. I could hear it in his voice as he mentioned that we were on a good pace. Bill Squires, who coached me through Chicago and Boston, had me practice what he called “fake surges.” These were designed not to break away, but to get the group to up the pace in response to my move. Then the plan was to settle back in to let someone else carry the faster pace. It also helped to thin out the field just after 10 miles. When I did a “fake surge” leading into Heartbreak Hill, Benji didn’t respond. My instinct, like in 1981, told me to go now and to put him away. Thankfully this time I had the strength to maintain. At the top of Heartbreak Hill I was alone and felt it would take something drastic for me to lose at that point. |
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| GCR: | After you caught and passed Durden during the stretch through the Newton hills and led the Boston Marathon for the last seven or eight miles. How exciting was it to be out front with thousands of race fans cheering and screaming for you? |
| GM | I really didn’t think about the “excitement” of the moment. I was concentrating on Benji... and because I tended to be sort of an insecure runner, I was worried that someone might still be coming up from behind me... most likely Boston Billy Rodgers, as he knew the course so well and was the greatest marathoner of our time. At the top of Heartbreak Hill I had a moment where I got a little emotional when I thought I really was going to win. But it wasn’t about the crowd; it was about the race and what I was accomplishing. It was very personal - really. |
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| GCR: | With an insurmountable lead that Patriots’ Day, you didn’t push for the fastest possible time during the final few miles. In retrospect, do you wish you had “put the hammer down” and run a faster time or was it even more joyous to savor the moment and enjoy the crowds? |
| GM | Billy Squires and I used to argue about whether I was waving the final miles or not and if that cost me a faster time. When he saw the videotape again just a year ago he saw I wasn’t waving. What happened was that after 23 miles I was still on record pace and continuing to run with the fear that someone might be catching me. Given the huge crowds and the lack of control, I couldn’t see behind me. I was like a rat being swallowed by a snake. The belly of the crowd would open as the press truck and I came though and then close behind us. I couldn’t see anything but the crowd behind. At the 23-mile point someone on the press truck saw me trying to look back and yelled, “Relax, no one’s coming!” My whole goal at Boston was to win. Billy and I never discussed a time goal; it was always, “How do you win on this course?” When he yelled that, I lost my fear and my concentration. I slowed between 15-20 seconds per mile over the last three miles because at that point the goal was accomplished. I have some small moments of regret, but they last about a second. |
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| GCR: | After your outstanding 1983 race performances, you looked to make the 1984 Olympic team but finished seventh at the Olympic Trials Marathon. What were the differences in your race preparation, confidence and execution compared to a year earlier? How was that day even tougher since you faced the strongest Olympic Trials field in history that has yet to be matched? |
| GM | I did a stupid thing after Boston - less than three weeks later I ran a hard 25K in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. As luck would have it, the river flooded out part of the usual course, so the entire race was out and back over the hills. I had a tough race, winning in the last few miles. A few days later I was diagnosed with a fractured foot and an injury cycle began. Once I got through the summer, things went okay and my training leading into the 1984 Olympic Trials was as good if not better than the previous year for Boston. Looking back, I may have over trained, especially in the number of hard 20-milers I did. The race itself played out better than I had imagined as the people I really thought would run well, Gary Bjorkland and Tony Sandoval, had dropped back early. Peter Pfitzinger was out front, but I had handled him easily at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler just a few weeks before. Also, Alberto Salazar wasn’t looking like the Alberto who won the New York Marathon either. I was excited heading into 20 miles, but the marathon gods can be tough. By 21 miles my right hamstring was knotting up and I was basically done. It was the most devastating loss I ever experienced. I wanted to quit running and racing. If not for the support of some close friends and also a few letters from people I respected, I might have retired then. While I never did run as well as leading into Boston again, I loved my life as a runner so the next eight years of racing were still terrific. |
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| GCR: | Like many top runners, you raced well at all distances from the mile through the 5k and 10k up to the marathon. You set 10 American records at distances from 8k through 25k. You broke four minutes for the mile and were even a top collegiate steeplechaser. What is your favorite racing distance? |
| GM | I really liked racing at distances between 15K and 25K as it allowed me to use both my speed and strength. I was too big to have a lengthy marathon career - in hindsight, of course. But I loved racing 15K and 20K’s. That being said, Jim Ryun and Marty Liquori were heroes of mine as a young runner, so breaking four minutes in the mile was very special. |
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| GCR: | What tips would you give to the average runner training for and racing the Boston Marathon? |
| GM | All runners who race at Boston should have a realistic plan and stick to it, especially on race day. Listen to your body during the race and make sure you get enough rest ahead of time. Oh, and practice your down hill running. I can’t emphasize that enough! |
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| GCR: | You were able to travel internationally to several countries including Ireland, Portugal, Brazil, Scotland, Greece and Japan due to your racing. What were some of the similarities and differences compared to racing domestically? |
| GM | Most European countries are similar in that they respect runners as athletes. Also, I liked the competitive nature of the athletes while in Europe. They raced hard, but when the event was over, the thinking was, “Let’s have a pint of beer and have some fun.” Americans tended to brood over a race - thinking too much about how it might affect a contract in the future. In Japan they were very gracious hosts, but it was clear the race organizers wanted a Japanese runner to win. |
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| GCR: | What running memories stand out most from your competitive years at the University of Michigan and Grand Rapids West Catholic High School? |
| GM | At both schools my fondest memories are of team championships. Winning a state team title in Cross Country while at Grand Rapids West Catholic was awesome and then winning multiple Big Ten titles in Track and Cross Country were equally great. We had a blast at Michigan and winning team titles was the absolute highlight. I also had a lot of fun rooming with football players. My best friend in college was one of Michigan’s starting linebackers - I felt like I always had a security force around me! |
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| GCR: | You retired from competitive running in 1992. Did you have any desire to test yourself in Masters competition or were you both mentally and physically ready to gear it down? |
| GM | When I retired from competitive running, I needed to concentrate on my next career. I had a family to support and I didn’t think it would have worked to try and combine both work and racing. I also loved watching my kids compete in high school and felt I had already spent a great deal of my life chasing my athletic dreams. It was more important to support my kids’ endeavors at that point than for me to try to hang on for a few more years of racing. I never had any regrets about when I stopped. |
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| GCR: | How smooth was your transition from professional runner to businessman with an athletic management company? |
| GM | It was certainly an education since I didn’t have a business degree. I always thought I’d teach and coach. I was lucky to have great mentors at Brooks Shoes when I first stopped running. Later I was able to work with friends like Mike Roche and John Rogers (former Florida runner) while at Reebok. I do have regrets about my time in the shoe business as I didn’t learn the corporate politics well enough to do my job correctly. It was easy to create a plan for what product you needed to bring to market, but getting others in the company to buy into the plan was tough when it was in opposition to other people’s agendas. It was very interesting, but I feel like I failed to navigate the process well. |
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| GCR: | You switched gears in 2000 as an opportunity arose to do fundraising for your alma mater, the University of Michigan. How much did your running successes contribute to your getting a “foot in the door” with potential contributors? |
| GM | The thing about Michigan is it has its own appeal. I remember saying to Susan Feagan, the VP who hired me, “How hard is it to talk to alums about UM? They love the place!” Some people may have met with me because I had been a successful runner, but many I met on behalf of UM never knew I ran. It’s not something I would generally talk about. |
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| GCR: | In early 2008 you came full circle back to your roots when you accepted a similar fund-raising position with Aquinas College. Is it exciting and challenging to work to increase their endowment and to raise capital for a proposed sports and fitness center? |
| GM | I had made a decision to move back to Grand Rapids almost a year before. I initially wanted UM to open an office there, but they were ready to do that yet. Having grown up in the Catholic school system in Grand Rapids and knowing of Aquinas College because my brother and some friends went here, it was a great fit when the opportunity became available. Like when I worked with Reebok in the past, UM had become fairly bureaucratic. I love being at a small school where I’m getting to know the professors and the success one has actually makes a real difference to the school. I love Michigan, but Aquinas just is a great place to work. I like the “family” feel of being here. Now I just have to raise some money for them! |
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| GCR: | How much fun is to be living back in the same town as your mom? Will she still be keeping an eye on you like in your childhood days when you evidently had a well deserved reputation as a daredevil and prankster? |
| GM | She’s mad at me because I think I see her less now than I did before. I have “fallen into” this great cabin on a local trout river. I can fish out the front and run trails for miles out the back. So my mother and brother come over and enjoy it with me. I am in heaven! I have a job I enjoy, work with people I like and live in a community that reflects my values. Plus the cabin on the river doesn’t hurt. |
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| GCR: | Describe the feelings you had earlier this year when you ran the 2008 Boston Marathon as the 25th anniversary winner with two of your three children running with you. |
| GM | I was so proud of Jay and Nicky for not only getting to the start line, but finishing. I know they did it for me. I also know Danny is saving himself until I get a little older so he can make me hurt when I run with him. It was the best running day of my life. We all had such a good time. When the weekend was done, no one wanted to leave (of course being guests of the BAA in the Copley didn’t hurt). I did well with my kids… or they did well in spite of who their father was! |
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| GCR: | The day before your 25th anniversary run you threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park when the Red Sox played the Texas Rangers. Did you become a Red Sox fan while you lived in Boston and how amazing is it that they asked you to do this honor? |
| GM | I did become a Red Sox fan when I lived in Boston. I love baseball and the first major league game I ever went to was in Fenway. I love the game, the stadium, and the fans! Just walking on the grass at any diamond can make you feel like a kid again - but walking out at Fenway… it’s a moment I’ll never forget. Winning the Boston Marathon was a good thing you see! |
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| GCR: | What is your health and fitness regimen these days? Do you have any nagging injuries from your competitive days that restrict you’re running or daily activities? |
| GM | I’m healthy most of the time, with only the occasional nagging calf that only crops up when I try to race or run too fast with the high school kids I help in the summer. I love to run and try to get out four to five times a week. I get invited to just enough events to keep my mileage up. I have half marathons scheduled in Michigan in October and in Manchester, VT in November plus there is the possibility of running the Prince of Wales Island Marathon next June in Alaska. That would mean fly fishing for recovery the week after! |
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| GCR: | How did the structure, discipline and values you learned from your family and Catholic upbringing influence your approach toward training and racing and other aspects of your life? |
| GM | This is pretty basic, but I think it’s true: my family taught me never to quit; my faith taught me right from wrong (okay the Catholic guilt came into play when I didn’t train) and I learned to work hard from my high school coach Len Skrycki. I also learned to train smart and how to like myself from my college coach Ron Warhurst. Additionally, I was mentored by Bill Rodgers in how to act on the roads. There were some 'great cooks in my kitchen.' |
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| GCR: | You made an appearance at the YMCA of Saginaw earlier this year as part of the Run for Your Heart program. With the increasing levels of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues in the United States, what do you see as your role in the future to combat and reverse this trend? |
| GM | We need to do so much more to help turn the tide of obesity which is becoming more common with our kids. They see physical activity as punishment while we saw it as play. The Crim Foundation in Flint is trying to do some amazing things in their region to help and hopefully create a template for others. USATF could also help play a role in getting more youth programs started in various regions. I also have a very strong opinion on smoking in this country. Without question it should be banned in any public place. I think a parent caught smoking in their car with kids in it should be cited for child endangerment! What other product would be sold knowing it causes such physical problems! I watched my dad die of lung cancer and feel it should be illegal to sell cigarettes anywhere. Sadly, our elected officials are too busy getting re-elected to make the right decisions. It’s funny how the “right” is against abortion (rightly so) but will allow a product that kills young and old to exist and prosper. |
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| GCR: | You may be 'shocked' to hear about the poster you autographed long ago for Jon and Betsy Hughes, long time owners of Track Shack of Orlando. It specifically says, “To my friends at Track Shack – Whatever you do, keep this poster out of your rest room, Greg Meyer.” Despite your adamant request, the poster has been in Track Shack’s rest room for years! Did you leave a slew of similarly autographed posters at running stores throughout the country? |
| GM | I take great pride that my poster still graces the back door of their bathroom at the store! How many women have been forced to sit there and look up at my ugly mug looking down at them! Ha! Tell them to laminate it so it can stand the next 20 years as well. Everything gets old ya know! |
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| | Inside Stuff |
| Hobbies/Interests | Fly fishing, kayaking, running and some golf |
| Nicknames | When I played grade school football, my older brother, Matt, was much bigger than me, so he was called 'Moose' while my nickname was 'Mouse' |
| Favorite movies | Bagger Vance, A River Runs through It and The Greatest Game Ever Played. You may notice no running movies… sorry. Both golf movies are more about overcoming something than just golf. |
| Favorite TV shows | House |
| Favorite songs | Don’t laugh… I’m a Christmas music nut. |
| Favorite books | I like mysteries like the DaVinci Code |
| First car | My brother’s hand me down 1966 Chevy Impala with a 227 4 barrel… it was a beast! I sold it to my college coach Ron Warhurst later for $50. Heck, it may have been his first car too! |
| Current car | A 4 cylinder Ford Escape and a Ford F150... I’m a Ford guy… as was my father! |
| First job | Janitor at my high school |
| Family, Children and Siblings | Daughter Nicolle (Nicky) – was national intercollegiate equestrian champion her junior year at UM. She just left working for the Detroit Pistons to go back to working in minor league baseball.
Jay - was all state in swimming… now lives in Tempe, AZ doing real estate management.
Dan - my runner in High School… was all state twice and on three state championship teams. He is now going to school here in Grand Rapids and living with me in the cabin - which he likes too much!
Brother Matt - I’m lucky to be living near him again.
Matt’s wife, Mary – She’s great and can cook like no one else (sorry mom).
My mother Rita - At age 82 she is still going strong and causing trouble.
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| Pets | A Jack Russell Terrier named Jackson and a cat named Cody |
| Favorite meal | Anything cooked on the grill with corn on the cob… and ice cream to finish off the meal is never refused! |
| Favorite breakfast | I eat oatmeal most mornings, but like eggs, especially if being served by someone to me! This started as part of my oat meal, soup and sex diet. I was 30 pounds overweight about five years ago and getting divorced. I started having oat meal in the morning so I wouldn’t be hungry and skip running at noon. Then I’d have soup at my desk after the run (and I mention the sex because I started dating someone shortly afterward… and sex always makes a story more interesting.) |
| First running memory | Having races around our block… I could never beat Ernie Oliver! He was my older next-door neighbor. He beat me then, but that may have been his greatest athletic success! |
| Running heroes | Marathon runners Bill Rodgers and Joan Samuelson. Also, Marty Liquori and Jim Ryun for their inspiration during my early years. |
| Greatest running moment | There are three I have to mention... the Boston Marathon victory, my sub-four minute mile and all of the team championships in high school and college lumped together. While the individual feats were great, the team achievements were even better as they were shared by a group and we could celebrate together afterward |
| Worst running moment | The 1984 Olympic Trials… nothing else is close… |
| Childhood dreams | I thought I’d be an Olympic pole vaulter |
| Funny memories | One time I was running a 10k race in Grand Rapids and nature called. The 'leaves' I used turned out to be poison ivy! Within a day the itching was terrible. Then to cure it the doctor used steroids (don't tell anyone) |
| Embarrassing moment | Too many to mention… and not appropriate for a young audience! |
| Favorite places to travel | I love my annual trip to the Honolulu Marathon for the warm sun and the beach. Europe is special, especially England and Ireland. I enjoy New England for the ocean. But I love coming back to Michigan. It has the Great Lakes, the rivers, the change of seasons - I live in the best place in the world! |
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