REYNOLDS HAS LOCAL RUNNERS ASKING “WHO IS THAT GUY?”
In the western classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman says to his partner in crime, Robert Redford, “Who are those guys?” as they look back from their hiding place at their dogged pursuers.
Local runners have been expressing the same sentiments, as they watch newcomer Ben Reynolds, of Chatham winning races. “Who is that guy?”
That forty-two year old guy, who beat out all the open runners at last Sundays Men’s Championship 10K, is a transplant from the United Kingdom who will be racing here for at least two more years, before he transfers home again.
Although Reynolds arrived in New Jersey in July of 2005, his work schedule kept him from training properly until this past winter. He makes no claim of greatness although he admits to a “brief patch after university, when I was quite good”. He says the secret to his long term success may be his lack of hard training.
“I’ve never really focused properly on my training so I’ve always been good despite the fact that I’ve never trained very hard,” said Reynolds. “I guess that’s why I’ve enjoyed going on running for such a long time and never gotten fed up with it or injured too much.”
But Reynolds is aware of the clock ticking and at 42 he wants to reach a fast marathon time while it is still possible. He finished the London Marathon in 2:26:46 three years ago and has his sights set on going under 2:25 at New York in November.
Reynolds works in Jersey City so does most of his training in Liberty State Park. He normally runs very low mileage for someone of his caliber, traditionally doing only around forty miles per week. As he prepares for the Marathon he is attempting to get in more mileage but he says it is very hard work to get to the 70 miles he would like to have.
When it was pointed out to him that he beat some very good open runners at the 10K this past Sunday with a time of 31:26, he modestly replied that “it’s coming back, while stating that he is somewhat off where he’d like to be. Not that he expects to hit the 29:39 that he posted back in 1986.
“That a long time ago and I haven’t been under 31 in years and years,” he said. “Still it was nice to get close to that again.”
Reynolds noted how popular the 5K is here in the states and recalled that his best 5K time was done on the track around 1990 when he did a 14:25. His best here in New Jersey was at the President’s Cup Night Race where he finished in 15:17, an age graded 90.7 PLP.
His first serious race was the USATF-NJ 10 mile championship in December 2005, which he said was a struggle although his time was a respectable 55:08.
“Then I did a bit better by the time we got around to the Newark 20K,” he said. “I started to pick up quite a bit after that.”
His time at the 20K was 1:10:03, good enough for sixth overall and to age grade second in 84.7 PLP.
He next ran the Millburn Spring Run 10K to place second in 32:41, which age graded at 88.6%. In May he won the Our House 5 mile in Summit, finishing in 25:51 to age grade at 88.6%.
“That was a lot better,” said Reynolds. “I had a sprint finish and wasn’t dead at the end.”
At the highly competitive President’s Cup Night Race 5K in June, he finished fourth overall in 15:17 and topped the age grading chart at 90.7%.
“We don’t really do these age graded things in the UK,” said Reynolds. “It is completely new to me. I’ve never seen them before.”
Also new to him is the long distance running, New Balance Grand Prix. “I hadn’t really caught onto that until Rick Pingitore told me that ‘you are doing really well in the grand prix’”.
To look at the grand prix scores you wouldn’t think so, until you see that Reynolds, down in 35th place with 3787 points, is missing three key races.
He is planning to run the Liberty Waterfront Half Marathon on October 8th and the Heroes to Hero 5K on October 14th. In December he will celebrate his full year of New Jersey racing at the ten mile championship again. All he needs to move into first place is 1,492 points, and that will be a snap for him even without winning all three of those races. Of course, so early in the fall season, there are other open runners who have a shot at moving up if they get in key races. Still Reynolds is a legitimate contender.
“I have to say I am impressed with all the races over here in the states and the efficiency of the organization,” said Reynolds. “You often have championships, which I am not used to in the UK.”
“The amount of helpers you have. In the UK you struggle like anything to get any helpers,” he said. “Here people are very willing to volunteer and I think the races are very good here. They are well organized..”
Reynolds noted another difference from UK races that would never fly in New Jersey.
“Typically when you enter on the day of the race you are not eligible for any prizes,” he said.
Whether he pre-enters or post enters, Reynolds is having no trouble claiming prizes and prize money. As his face becomes more familiar fewer will be asking, “who is that guy?’ They’ll know. That’s Reynolds, one of the best masters runners competing in the state.
Orignally published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County New Jersey, Sunday, September 24, 2006.
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2006.
