Both of Frank's runs across America were a salute to the adventurous spirit in all of us.
Frank's consuming passion for running and his
intensely optimistic persona led to the completion of all the
goals: to set an endurance record; to raise funds for the
United Way; and to inspire active living and giving in all of
us. The following is a brief account of the experiences.
RUN #1
There were
actually two Runs. The first effort began on March 1, 1979, in
Santa Monica, California. During a pre-dawn rain, Frank and
his friend Bill Glatz scooped up some Pacific Ocean water.
They handed it to their friend and handler, Rebecca Wright, to
store in their donated motor home. The water would be part of
a ceremony of "West meets East" on the water's edge at New
York City's Battery Park at the completion of the Run. Run #1 began from the parking lot of
the Four Seasons Restaurant on Highway One, overlooking the Pacific.
Prior to this, Frank and Bill often trained in
the Shawangunk Mountains near New Paltz, NY. Arguably,
New York's Hudson Valley Region is one of the best places to
train on Earth. The mountain trails of the 'Gunks', world-
famous for rock climbing, hiking and boldering, also feature
some of the best 'Rave Runs' anywhere. Currently, the U. S.
Marathon team trains there. The countless miles on the
carriage trails of Mohonk and Minnewaska helped prepare them
for their odyssey. After a rough start, Billy decided not to
continue. He departed Run #1 early on day seven in Phoenix,
only after he was sure that Frank and Becky would be able to
keep up the 50-mile per day pace needed to reach the finish
in 60 days.
Despite daily terrain and weather challenges,
Frank's greatest concerns were physical. Thankfully, symptoms
that could lead to injury would disappear, despite
running all day, day after day. Much of this was due to
creative shoe modifications, lower leg compression hose and an
understanding of self, along with the constant help of Becky. Frank,
with Becky's undaunted support and friendship, finished Run #1
arriving at New York City Hall on April 30, 1979, sixty days and
six hours after that rainy start. They ran through thirteen
states, covered 2,876 miles, averaging fifty miles per day.
Their adventures along the way have become legendary. At the
end of a brief ceremony in Battery Park, the Twin Towers
looming overhead, Frank answered a reporter's question
regarding, "Would you ever do it again?" by saying he was
definitely going to do another run: this time from San
Francisco to New York. He knew that for his next Run he would need
greater financing and a larger support crew.
Four months later, Frank won the Kingston Half Marathon in
1:12:05. Then in March of 1980, he finished second in the St.
Patrick's Day 10K in New Paltz with a time of 33:00. All the
high mileage coming across the country paid off, as Frank
enjoyed the best racing performances of his life. His only
other standout performance, time-wise, was his 2:37:34 in the
1976 Maryland Marathon.
RUN #2
Sixteen months after the finish of Run #1, after a brief
ceremony, Frank began Run #2 from the steps of San Francisco's
City Hall. This time his support crew consisted of his family and a
friend. His brother John stayed with him on a bicycle to
give immediate support. He had a radio/cassette player
mounted on the back of the bike, as well as medical supplies
and food for he and Frank. His parents, Frank Sr. and Josephine
Giannino, drove the motor home and provided all-round support.
His friend Bruce Goldberg did the public relations work,
contacting the media, United Way representatives and running
clubs along the way. Frank Sr., a retired male nurse, looked after Frank's
health and the health of everyone on the trip. He drove and
maintained the motor home. Josephine created a homey
atmosphere in the motor home, did the cooking and calorie
counting, and kept a detailed diary of her experiences. The
family dog, Brindle, was on the trip too.
Things were not easy on Run #2. On the 4th of July,
Stan Cottrell of Georgia raised the performance bar,
completing a well-financed run from New York City to San
Francisco in 48 days 1 hour 48 minutes, an average of 64 miles
per day. Frank's original plan for Run #2 was to average 60
miles per day. Cottrell's effort raised the bar. Not only did
he have to better that average, but he had to do it
convincingly. Frank did not have the gifts of a fast
ultra-marathoner, but he did have two things going for him he had
done this before, and he had the perfect support team to do it
with - his family! If he was going to average more than 64
miles per day, everything was going to have to come
together perfectly.
Frank's plan was to reach Fort Collins, CO at an average of 60
miles per day. After that, he planned to average 70 miles per day.
The plan was to run 2.5 miles at 10-12 minutes per mile, walk a
little, run 2.5 again and repeat the process through twenty
miles; then break for breakfast for one hour; run/walk another
twenty miles; break one hour for lunch; then run as many miles
as possible into the nighttime hours. The first four days
across California were rough. Frank's pace was slow.
California roads were very busy. The family was not making
enough sacrifices in an effort to reach seventy miles per day.
Instead of foregoing showers and parking near the finish marker, the family would drive out of its way for a KOA, in order to be comfortable after the fifty or so miles they had covered. This pace
was far below the 60 miles and ultimately 70 miles that would
be needed daily.
With a renewed resolve, all family members dug in and made sacrifices. In some cases, the sacrifices were painful. Frank Sr. came down with dysentery in
Nevada. John's bike was run over. Bruce survived stomach
problems. Frank lost three toenails. Brindle, more than once,
managed to collect burrs in her fur while seeking relief
during roadside pitstops. The stories, as on Run #1, are
legendary.
Suffice it to say, things worked out in the end. The group
tightened up the routine. They grabbed showers when available.
Only Frank bathed at the end of the day in the motor home
shower. Frank's mileage routine increased. After Fort Collins,
the crew awoke at 3:00 AM; Frank ran 25 miles; broke for
breakfast; twenty five more miles; lunch; then as many miles
as possible by dark. They reached the 70-mile goal almost every day
and finished in 46 days 8 hours 36 minutes. The Guinness Book
of World Records still lists it as the fastest crossing of the
United States on foot.
Many people influenced Frank's decisions to do these runs.
None more than the efforts of Dave MacGillivray. One of Dave's
many personal accomplishments was his 1978 run across America
for the Jimmy Fund. David is the director of the Boston
Marathon and is currently assisting Frank and his friends in
creating a Marathon event in the Hudson
Valley.
