Twenty-five years and she’s still going strong

By DON HUNT
Mail Tribune

As Sandi Whittle stood and watched the Pear Blossom Run in 1979, she turned to her husband and said, "I’m going to do that next year."

The Medford resident was true to her word, and she’s never missed one since.

Whittle, 55, completed her 25th straight Pear Run on a picture-perfect Saturday, covering the 10 miles in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 37 seconds.

Whittle owns the longest consecutive streak for women. Twelve men have made it through all 28 runs since the inaugural event in 1977.

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"My mind wandered a lot when I was on the course today," Whittle said. "I was just thinking how wonderful it’s been to be a part of this for all these years.

"You see people along the edge of the route who are limping and you realize how lucky you are."

While the run itself has been an inspiration to Whittle — she’s been in the top 10 numerous times — it’s the camaraderie of the other runners and the spirit of the community that she treasures most.

"It brings out so much community support," she said. "The runners, the spectators, the volunteers — everyone has a part in it and it’s such a positive, wholesome event."

Whittle nearly saw her streak end 15 years ago. She had a serious hamstring pull and wasn’t planning to run, but when she got up on the morning of the event and looked at her race number, she ingested four Advil and made it to the starting line.

"I remember running by (race director) Jerry Swartsley and him saying, ‘Sandi, what in the heck are you doing?’ I didn’t run a fast time, but it worked out OK."

Whittle had another uncomfortable experience a few years later when she was standing in her sweats away from the starting line when the starting gun went off.

"I threw my sweats at some guy I didn’t even know, jumped under the fence and took off," Whittle said, adding that her garments were around when she got back.

LEONARD HILL felt a bit sluggish Saturday. But a fatigued Hill is still faster than 99 percent of the Pear Blossom participants.

The venerable Hill, 50, just missed the top 10, settling for 11th place in 57:30.

"I felt my age today," said Hill, who grew up in Phoenix, graduated from Oregon State University and now works as an assessor in Klamath Falls. "I just didn’t have much strength."

Hill won the Pear in 1979 and ‘80 and, incredibly, was among the top 10 finishers for the first 21 years of the event. His worst finish has been 13th.

When Hill turned 50 on Aug. 11 of last year, he took advantage of his new age category. He won three national masters titles — cross country, the 10,000 meters and the steeplechase, setting a national record of 10 minutes, 10 seconds in the latter event.

Hill credits his old distance coach at Oregon State — Neil Webber — for helping him set the steeplechase record.

"I did the same workouts I had done with Neil back in college," said Hill, who won a Pac-10 Conference steeplechase title and set the OSU school record of 8:43 during the 1973 track season. "I followed the same regimen for six weeks. I did a lot of speed work, which I don’t normally do, but I held together and got faster."

Hill concentrated on the marathon after graduating from OSU and competed in the 1980, ‘84 and ’88 Olympic Trials.

CHOOSING NOT to run Saturday was painful for Bruce Timmerman, but less so than had he pounded the pavement for a 28th straight year.

Timmerman, one of 13 men who had run the first 27 Pear events, stayed in bed Saturday morning rather than subject his bad knees to further punishment.

"You can call those remaining guys the Dirty Dozen," Timmerman, 53, said with a chuckle. "I made a clean getaway."

Timmerman said he probably should have retired from the run a couple years ago but couldn’t bring himself to break his streak. His reluctance to give it up even now was evident when he filled out an entry form and picked up his T-shirt and race number Friday.

"Had I been anywhere near that starting line, I know I would have run," Timmerman said. "And that’s why I stayed home. I was in bed when the (starting) gun went off."

Timmerman said he essentially made his decision earlier this week when he ran three miles on a treadmill and came up sore afterwards.

"I decided if I want to walk in my 60s and 70s then I’ve got to give up running," he said.

Kenny White, another member of the hardy club, was suffering from severe knee problems but was able to keep his streak alive.

BONNIE HAVENS’ time of 1:08 was roughly four minutes slower than what she usually runs, but considering the trauma she’s recently endured, one had to admire her for even competing.

Havens spent the past six months driving back and forth to Sacramento to be with her brother, Sam, who was suffering from melanoma. The deadly form of cancer claimed him last month at the age of 40.

"Today is a redemption," said Havens, 37, who wasn’t able to train much during her brother’s battle to stay alive. "I came out here to be with my friends."

Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com