Left in the dust by a female runner sporting a bunny tail and ears, George Banker found himself paralyzed before the final mile of his first marathon.
His legs cramped after his running partner of two hours jetted ahead in the Penn Relay Marathon.
“She dropped me like a bad date,” said Banker, then 32, recalling the 1-mile stretch between him and the finish line.
On that long day in April 1983, Banker completed the 26.2-mile race in four hours and 24 minutes.
“I called myself every name I could ever think of and I swore I would never run another marathon in my life,” the Bethesda resident said.
Now 59 years old, the seasoned marathon veteran prefers to remember his best race instead. He ran the same distance in three hours and 32 minutes at the Houston-Tenneco Marathon in 1988.
“That’s been chiseled in concrete. That will be on the front door of my crypt,” Banker said of his personal best.
Banker has been “sucked into the vortex” of marathons, serving as a historian, president and participator in innumerable races. He has run in 73 marathons alone.
The former IBM administrator found his passion on the pavement after a company outing in which he ran a mile with his co-workers. Since then, Banker tacked on marathon runner to his list of careers, including U.S. Air Force reservist and member of the D.C. Air National Guard.
“Without rhyme or reason,” that first shot of adrenaline has lasted for 30 years.
The decorated Air Force sergeant is now the operations manager for the Army Ten-Miler, the largest 10-mile road race in the United States. On Oct. 4, he will run in a stampede of 30,000 other entrants, 4,000 more than last year.
Once 190 pounds and with an ulcer, Banker trimmed down after joining the Rock Creek Squares, an IBM running club, to prepare for his first Marine Corps Marathon in 1983.
“I was the new guy and everyone was in front of me,” he said of doing all of the wrong things right.
Slicing nearly an hour off his time, he kept coming back for 24 years. Banker even wrote the book on the “People’s Marathon” between 1976 and 2006, researching every runner and record for “The Marine Corps Marathon: A Running Tradition.”
“If I didn’t, someone else was going to put something out on the street and it was going to look like a piece of garbage,” said Banker, now the Marine Corps Marathon’s historian.
Banker has added journalism to his post-race regimen. After each race, he plays reporter, snaps some photos and cranks out two to three stories a week for running-themed publications in the mid-Atlantic.
He puts his accounting degree from George Washington University to work, currently working as the historian for 15 local races, including Sunday’s Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run.
When training 10 years ago, the ubiquitous runner raced three days a week and trained an average of six days a week — running about seven miles each practice.
However, Banker “used to train to drink like I train to run now,” said the recovering alcoholic.
Banker kept a routine of keeping two Bud Lights in a cooler as a treat after his day’s run.
“I gave up the beer and have taken up Gatorade,” he said.
He now averages 40 miles per week, 70 during race season.
His next event: 20 miles of relay in this year’s 200-mile American Odyssey Relay Run on April 24 and 25.
Now passionate about motivational speaking, Banker has been sharing his story to students as a volunteer speaker and substitute teacher.
“I haven’t even reached my peak yet,” he said, planning to pound the pavement until he is in his “dirt bed.”
Banker says he has only two goals: “One’s to start, and one’s to finish.”
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Time out with … George Banker
How does your family handle your training?
Initially, they went along with it. I would take them to my race and then we would go to dinner afterwards. When I stopped giving money or food, they stopped coming. Typical American family.
Favorite way to get motivated before a race?
The nerves kick in the day before and you visually go through the race. What I may visualize always comes out different, but you have to do something. You will adjust your expectations based on what your training has been.
Do you eat anything special either the night before or the morning of a competition?
I eat nothing the morning of the race except maybe a sports gel. I would take that throughout the race and fluids. One thing I would say at this point … my weakness is the diet. If I am going to eat a heavy meal, it’s going to be two to three days before a race. The night before is moderation.
Favorite sports-related movie?
“The Peaceful Warrior” — about a gymnast who is trying to make a comeback after a motorcycle accident. One line in there, where he [the coach] told him [the gymnast] that he has to take the trash out — clear his thoughts. When I lose concentration, I tell myself to get back in concentration.
Tips for people who want to try running?
Number one: Go see a doctor. Not that I did that. You can’t have someone just slap on shoes, then drop dead. For someone who has not been active at all — walk a lot and run half a lap. Decrease your amount of walking and increase the amount of running at a really easy pace.
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American Odyssey Relay Run Adventure
-This is the first year for the American Odyssey Relay Run Adventure, which will be held April 24 and April 25.
-Runners will weave through 200 miles of battlefields and bridges starting at Gettysburg, Pa., and ending at the Washington Monument.
-The route is divided into 36 legs for about 150 teams, with 12 runners per team.
-The runners will rotate their miles through 150 years of history in about 24 hours.
-Registration closes April 10, unless 150 teams sign up first.
