70-year-old runner to run his 50th Charleston Distance Run race

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Saturday will mark the 51st Charleston Distance Run, a 15-mile race throughout the entire city.

More than 700 people are signed up to race in the 5K, the Relay race, or the 15-mile race. Among all those runners is one person whose life has been shaped dramatically by the Distance Run.

“A lot of people that I talk to that run, it’s a chore for them. It’s never been a chore for me,” Gary Smith said.

Having never run track or cross country in high school, Hurricane resident Gary Smith said he discovered his passion for running while studying at Marshall University in the 1970s.

“When I ran my first race in intramurals, I finished in the top third, and that was with literally a week and a half advance notice. I thought ‘If I practice at this, I might get pretty good,’” Smith said.

As Smith entered his early 20s, racing became the focus. That’s when he found out about Charleston’s 15-mile Distance Race, which began in 1973.

“The first time I ran the distance run was only the second race I ever ran in my life,” Smith said.

Smith said over the years, he’s run numerous races across the nation on top of annually running the 15-mile Distance Run.

“As I got older and into my 50s, I started running longer races: 50ks, 40 miles, 50 miles, 100K. Especially when you get into those races, longer than a marathon, it’s a big mental game just to stay in the race.”

Now, Smith is hitting a milestone: his 50th race at 70 years old.

“Yeah, it’s actually 51 years later because we didn’t have a race in 2020 due to COVID, but I’ve run it every year there was a race. In fact, even that year, I went out the day that the race should have been and ran 15 miles,” Smith said.

This dedication led to 2024 Race Director Carol Phipps Haid deciding to honor Smith along with four of their former committee members who passed away, including two former race directors. They also honored Bob Tate for his 50 years of service as treasurer.

“It’s a major priority for them, and it’s their life. It’s not their full life, but it’s very very important to them,” Phipps Haid said.

Smith said it has not always been easy to train for numerous races over his 50-year career.

“I can’t run as fast as I used to. I’ve kind of adopted a new mindset, which is ‘don’t’ worry about it. You’ve got 50 years of running,’” he said.

Smith says running has kept him grounded, kept him close to family and shaped his life.

“I would guess I’ve run somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 races in my life, and only one time I’ve ever started a race and not finished it. That’s kind of a big thing for me, and that’s kind of a big thing in life. If you’re going to start something, you need to finish it,” Smith said.

Smith said his wife, his oldest son and his youngest son’s girlfriend are all doing the 5K. His youngest son will be running the 15-mile race alongside Smith.

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