ALLEN IS TOUGH, FAST AND VERSATILE
Not too many marathoners, who also do triathlons, will take a stab at becoming a miler. But that’s what Peter Allen, 45, of Harding Township did last Sunday at the Garden State Athletic Club Randolph Classic track meet. He finished in a very respectable 4:56. Not bad for a man who finishes in the top 100 in the New York City and Boston marathons
Allen has been a road racer since his teens, even while he was competing at cross county and track at Pingry school.
“I was enjoying my first road races right around my senior year,” he said. “I really got hooked I guess.”
His first marathon was in Maine at age eighteen and he knew nothing about how to run a marathon.
“I felt a cramp coming on and I thought it was from the water I had just drunk,” he said. “So I didn’t drink anymore.”
As Allen became dehydrated from his self imposed ban, he slowed to a walk.
When he told other marathoners around him that he hadn’t been taking water they were astonished and urged him to drink up.
“I drank water and then was flying into the finish,” said Allen. “It made the marathon all the more exciting a barrier to break.”
By the time Allen entered his first triathlon, he knew about water, but knowing and having water are two different things. Hitting a rough spot on the course, his water bottles went flying except for one that he saved. It was half full.
“I was totally dehydrated,” said Allen. “They didn’t hand out water and I only had half a bottle of water.”
Allen has plenty of experience now and has done over twenty Boston and New York City marathons. His best was done at Boston, his favorite event, in 2:31:30 at age 31.
“Those are the two most serious races of the year,” said Allen. “I train for them hard and along the way I do others - a lot of them are in Central Park and others are locally.”
Once Boston is done for the year, Allen switches focus and begins to train for the Tupper Lake Half-Ironman Triathlon that is taking place next weekend on June 25th in New York state. He fell easily into the three event sport and thrives on the challenge of the half-ironman distances of 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.
“The triathlon was easy because I ‘ve always liked to go for a distance swim,” said Allen. “That was a natural and adding the biking - I did that just as a summer activity.”
“I take it seriously enough to back burner my running for a month or two during the preparation for the triathlon,” he said. “It gives me a break and the wind is always cool in your face.”
Bugs cannot keep up with a cyclist and that is a factor for Allen who is lives within four miles of the Great Swamp. He can get in from 12 to 15 miles but once the bugs hit he’ll go into the swamp on his bike and train.
Allen is also close to Jockey Hollow and runs on the trails in the park. In the
winter, that is where he cross country skiis.
“I love to be out in nature,” he said.
He also loves challenges and has now done the Tupper Lake race three times.
“You don’t take it too lightly,” said Allen. “It takes me just under five hours to do. For that it’s kind of a special part of my year.”
“Usually it’s fun to have that half-ironman because the difficulty gives it a bit of a barrier breaking feeling to do it.”
So why was he on the track running in a mile race? The answer is that his two sons, Matthew, who is in fifth grade and Robert who is in the seventh have been running track and dad has been participating as well.
A couple of weeks back Allen and Matthew competed in a 1,500 meter race and then did the 100 meter dash. The marathoner took a back seat to the kid in the 100, and Matthew was able to beat dad’s pedestrian 16 seconds.
Allen’s wife Rhonda also runs and all four will be at tomorrow night’s President’s Cup Night Race in Millburn.
“I won’t be running very fast,” said Allen. “My legs are tired from the biking and training. I’ll do the best I can, but I am running in the Father’s Day race in Central Park on Sunday.”
Not very fast in Allen’s log will be right around 17 minutes if history can predict. Someone who enjoys challenges is not likely to hold back at a race like the President’s Cup, tired or not.
Originally published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County on Sunday, June 19, 2005
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2005