John O'Neill

Are we done yet ?

“It's supposed to be fun ! John1:1a”

City: Manitou Springs State: CO

Favorite Shoe: NB 900 at this moment Size: 9.5

Age: 67.8 years old

Marital Status: Happily

Family members:
Cindy- wife puts up with me and my loud mouth.
Panda- border collie/daughter
Both have a higher IQ than I do.

What I do for work:
I have the best job in the world, even though I work a lot.
I manage The Colorado Running Company. My job is to help make your running more fun.

Places I’ve called home and why I like where I am now:
Dallas, TX great running community; city sucked.
Monterrey Penninsula, CA a great place to run.
San Antonio TX. Okay but humid.

When I started running and what got me started:
Started running track in HS 1967. Have continued since then except for a brief stint racing bikes. Hey I was injured.

What does running mean to me:
Fun and a young (sometimes too) mind set.

Running accomplishments: View my Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon results
Too few to list. But I have run every race on the track but hurdles. I was 2nd in the PACTAC triple jump in 1982. Only 2 entered.

What I like about trail/mountain running:
I have an excuse to run slow.

Favorite running trail and why:
Forest of the Nicsene Marks in Aptos, CA. Miles of redwood and pine needle trails. Runs thru old mining areas and earthquakes epicenters.

Favorite trail/mountain race and why:
Any race that is all downhill.

Best running experience:
The first time I ran fast for 10K. It was an out of body experience. In one season I went from 42min to 33 min 10K.

Worst running experience:
The first City wide San Francsico Marathon. Half in 1:11 with second pack. Last half in 1:45. I saw a wheelchair athlete crash at 15 miles and it just ruined my day.

Neatest thing found on a run:
A corny line but really my wife. We met at a race and after the food was gone I asked her if she wanted the banana I had in my pants.

Running related bathroom stop story:
Daily. But in 1987 I was in the lead pack at The Dallas Turkey Trot and I got the trots. Too many chocolate chip cookies the night before the race.

Running pet peeves:
Runners who limit themselves and their accomplishments. If you run 1 mile a day that is more than 97% of the population. Be proud of your accomplishments.

Something non running related that no one would guess about me:
I listen to jazz. And am finding myself liking EMINEM a lot.

Other stuff:
I believe you can accomplish reasonable goals. But the first step is believing in yourself.