Bill Rodgers

Happy 90th birthday to a true pioneer !

Sara-Mae-Berman - TEDxBoston Image result from tedxboston.com

Looking forward to running this Sunday with my "pacer" Jay Krussell- current and long-time XC Coach at Newington High School ! Always a great time to reunite with family and friends in my old hometown!

Bill Rodgers and the Newington Library 5K Challenge Road Race | Newington, CT Former Newington resident, U.S. Olympian and Marathon Champion running and supporting the Newington Library 5K Challenge Road Race over the years.

I had the pleasure of meeting the great, great grandson of Tom Longboat-- Kristian Jamieson, at this year's Boston Marathon .
He impressed me with his enthusiasm and dedication to his marathon goals all the while attending dental school. He is a solid runner and high achiever in so many aspects of his life. A credit to the Longboat family and Canada!

His name was Tom Longboat.
He was Onondaga, born on the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario in 1887.
By 1907, at age 19, he was the most famous athlete in Canada.
He won the Boston Marathon that year, smashing the course record by nearly five minutes. Newspapers called him "the greatest distance runner the world has ever seen." He raced in front of crowds of 30,000 in Madison Square Garden. He beat every champion the United States and Europe could put against him.
He was a national hero.
And then Canada decided he wasn't.
The Canadian press turned on him almost immediately. They called him lazy. They called him a drunk. They published cartoons that mocked his heritage. His white coach took most of his prize money and gave him an allowance like a child. When Tom married, the papers attacked his wife.
He kept running.
When WWI broke out, Tom enlisted. He served as a dispatch runner in the trenches of France — carrying messages between units under fire. He was wounded twice. He was once declared dead, and his wife remarried before learning he was alive.
When he came home, the country that had cheered him barely noticed.
He worked as a garbage collector in Toronto for the rest of his life.
He died in 1949. Poor. Mostly forgotten.
Today, Tom Longboat is recognized as one of the greatest athletes in Canadian history. There's a statue. There are awards named after him. The Canadian government issued a postage stamp.
But during his life, when he could have heard it — when it would have mattered — Canada said nothing.
We owe him more than statues.
We owe him the truth.
He was ours. We failed him. 🍁
Share if Tom Longboat deserves to be remembered. 👇

In addition to my brother, Charlie Rodgers , and me, family members of Coach Frank O'Rourke will be on hand, and my NHS teammate and co-captain Jim Flynn! It will be great to see you, Jim! --and also joining us will be one of New England's finest distance runners, Jim Keefe . Jim was an alum of Central Connecticut State College and a good friend of Coach O'Rourke. Come run, walk, and cheer--or just stop by and say hello!

Mark Christopher of Shark Entertainment, will once again be our DJ, and is sure to keep everyone energized with all the jams, at the Newington Library 5K Challenge Road Race - Sunday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m.

The Newington 5K Challenge Road Race is an annual fundraiser that is presented by the Library Board of Trustees. This is the 29th year of the race with all proceeds of the race benefiting the library and its future growth. The race is a popular community wide event that offers a fun filled morning of exercise and competition. Walkers are welcome! Strollers are allowed on the course.

Register for the race from our website -
www.newingtonct.gov/2655/2026-Newington-Library-5K-Challenge-Road

Today Show

Let's keep Bob's spirit alive and support REquipment Inc

The race is over. The mission continues.

The Bob Hall Legacy Fund was built to last beyond any single marathon. It exists to ensure that REquipment, Inc. can keep delivering mobility equipment to people across Massachusetts for years to come.

If you are just now hearing about us, welcome. And if you have been with us since the beginning, thank you.

There is always more to do. Always more people who need access to equipment. Always more barriers to break.

Follow us. Support us. Share our story.

bobhalllegacyfund.org

I hope our listeners will enjoy hearing the stories of the many American distance runners we've had the pleasure of interviewing -- each has had a unique journey in this sport

Marathon Champions Podcast · Benji Durden, Bill Rodgers, and Ron Tabb · Distance running topics past and present.

Looking forward to seeing all my friends next weekend at the Lucy Robbins Welles Library 5k challenge!

Looking for race inspiration?

Stop by the library and check out our running book display before the Newington Library 5K Challenge Road Race on Sunday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m.

The Newington 5K Challenge Road Race is an annual fundraiser that is presented by the Library Board of Trustees. This is the 29th year of the race with all proceeds of the race benefiting the library and its future growth. The race is a popular community wide event that offers a fun filled morning of exercise and competition. Walkers are welcome! Strollers are allowed on the course.

https://www.newingtonct.gov/2655/2026-Newington-Library-5K-Challenge-Road