FORT KNOX, Ky. — What might be considered a necessary evil for Army Soldiers has been one of the simple joys of life for two seasoned runners at Fort Knox.
Rick Torres and Mike Peters both started running at a young age, though they took different paths to finding the enjoyment in it.
Starting his running career in 1974 with the U.S. Presidential Fitness Exam 600-yard-run, Torres discovered his passion for running at age 12-.
“I naturally fell in love,” said the contracting officer at Fort Knox’s Mission and Installation Contracting Command. “When I got to middle school and then high school, I started to compete and [felt] the joy of running.”
Completing about 15 races each year averaging 45 miles a week at a six-minute mile pace, Torres has reached the 88th percentile of runners in his age group, which makes him a national class runner, according to The Runners World Age Grade Calculator he uses.
“I've been inspired by these big running stars. They're the nicest guys. They're very social – very approachable,” said Torres. “Hopefully I can inspire younger runners to look at me and say, ‘Hey, you know, he's an old guy, and he's still running; he's been running for 50 years now.’”
One of Torres’ favorite races is the Quad Cities Mel Foster Half-Marathon. Because it runs through his hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa and the Rock Island Arsenal, the race holds a special place in his heart.
“I've had people in Bettendorf that I hadn't seen in years that will come out and be cheering along the course. My old track coaches come out and cheer for me,” he said. “I try to make that one every year.”
Someone who was there to support him was his dad. Torres said that his dad would always be on the sidelines, before he passed away, sharing race strategy, reminding him to drink water along the course or even just catching fly-away gloves that his son would shed during a race.
“Dad was always there, ever since I was 12 years old,” said Torres. “He would come to all my races; he was my biggest fan.”
Peters, a plans and operations officer with U.S. Army Cadet Command, began running in 1977 out of necessity when he joined the Army. However, he found enjoyment on the pavement in 2011 after competing in his first Derby Festival Mini Marathon in Louisville.
Peters said it lit a fire beneath his feet, and he wanted to continue to challenge himself.
“I ran that one and I felt good, so I just started doing more and more,” said Peters. “I enjoy running; it’s peaceful.”
At the age of 64, Peters starts each morning with a run, averaging 10 miles a day at a mile roughly every 10 minutes. He said he does this to maintain his goal of running nine half-marathons a year. So far this year, he has run over 700 miles of his average annual 1,500-mile goal.
He also runs for another reason.
It is still dark out when he steps off for his daily run, so Peters said he finds it safer and more efficient to run various routes around the installation early on a morning.
“There’s not a housing area that I haven’t been in getting those miles in,” he said.
Not only is he already closer to the office when running at Fort Knox, but from 6:20 to 6:45 a.m. Peters said he has a built-in timer; Bugle calls help him time the end of his run and guide his pace.
“It kind of motivates me,” he stated. “I go, ‘okay, I’ve got 10 minutes, how far can I get in those 10 minutes?’”
Between the two of them, the runners have completed over 1,000 races to date, with thousands of miles worth of experiences.
Those experiences have given them a special wisdom that includes checking with a physician before picking up any new extraneous activities, taking time to thoroughly stretch before and after exercise, capitalizing on cross-training and foam rolling, listening to their body and running at their own pace.
“Last year, I got injured because I really wasn't listening to my body. I had a hamstring injury that lasted pretty much from February until the end of July,” said Torres. “And then I sprained my ankle because I was trying to hurry back, and it was just a comedy of errors trying to get back into shape.”
Torres said that once he was healed, he used cross-training, involving biking, swimming and his ElliptiGO to help get back into pre-injury shape.
Comparing his body to the odometer on a car, Torres said he chooses races carefully to avoid unnecessary extra wear and tear on his joints.
“[It’s] kind of like a car, you know, that odometer; you don't want to waste miles,” he said. “I'd rather train and go to a race that I know there's going to be good competition.”
Peters also compared his body to a car, saying it is important to do something to keep your body active.
“It’s kind of like a vehicle, you got to keep it going,” Peters said. “If you don’t, the tires start dry-rotting, things start falling off, so doing something that’s keeping [people] active is what’s important.”
Torres said the key to the joy of running is doing it for you and having fun at it.
“I just love to get out there and practice, and train, and know that I've done everything that I can,” he said. “Even though I might not win, I know that I've done everything that I could possibly do.”
Peters recommends setting goals:
“If you say, ‘Okay, well I want to run 1,000 miles this year,’ that’s possible, but set a goal,” he said. “My initial goal was to complete one race. However, my goal moved to 10, 25 and 50 half-marathons.”
Peters said a heart of gratitude has also kept him going strong over the years.
“I thank God for giving me the endurance to continue running step-by-step and mile-by-mile to the finish line.”
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