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Hopes this year's Big Sur will be 100th Marathon

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                       April 15, 2002

 CONTACT:                           Philo Short                                            Franca Gargiulo
                                                Marathon Enthusiast                              Public Relations
                                                831-624-5246                                        Big Sur International Marathon
                                                                                                            415-922-2870

 

Local Marathon Man on a Mission

Hopes this year's Big Sur will be 100th Marathon

Monterey's Philo Short is a man on a mission. Having already run a whopping 96 marathons, Short is planning on finishing another four this Spring, capping off his 100th 26.2-mile journey with the 2002 Big Sur International Marathon. An impressive feat for a man who only started running about 12 years ago-but then again, Philo Short is no ordinary man.

 After volunteering in the massage tent during the first few Big Sur International Marathons in the late 1980's, Short was bitten by the Marathon Bug. He ran his first marathon-Big Sur-in 1990. Since then, the 63-year-old now-retired physical therapist has run marathons all over the nation, including seven Boston Marathons, nine Big Surs (including three, six days apart from Boston), and a host of others including San Francisco, Napa, Portland, and Las Vegas. Short's training regimen is not as grueling as some might think. He runs only three days a week, logging approximately 40 miles total. In his words, he "way under does it."

 "I don't recommend others try what I'm attempting to do. I have trained enough so that my body allows me to do what I do," said Philo Short.

 In order to accomplish this latest milestone Short's 'spring training' schedule includes the L.A. Marathon on March 3, the Valley of the Sun Marathon in Mesa, AZ one week later on March 10th, the Boston Marathon on April 15th, and finally, the Big Sur International Marathon on April 28. (Incidentally, the 2002 race will mark Short's 10th Big Sur International Marathon as well.)

 Short says running has given him a more positive outlook on life, and believes that if someone can complete a marathon, they can do anything. He challenges others to lace up a pair of running shoes and hit the road.

 "Running is one activity a lot more people could be doing to become more physically fit," he says. "It's practically free-all you really need is a good pair of shoes."