For two months in the summer of 1998, Frank had to stop running. He needed surgery to replace an aorta valve that had been defective since childhood. Missing eight weeks of running was, to him, the equivalent of bypassing another six marathons. The surgery and recovery also snapped his 30-year string of running in the Boston Marathon. Before I would do it, go home and go to work the next day.
Recovery usually lasts about a week, just in time for the next marathon.
The race is not easy any more. As the youngest in the group, Frank wants to emulate the staying power of McNeely and Herman. I enjoy it. It's a way of life now. I like running.