New York State of Mind: PUR Interview: Ted Corbitt
UR Interview: Ted Corbitt
The terms “pioneer” and “legend” are thrown around too easily in this day and age, but if there is one man in the sport of ultrarunning who deserves those superlatives, it is Ted Corbitt. A quiet man by nature, Corbitt let his accomplishments do the talking, and they speak volumes. He earned a berth on the 1952 Olympic Marathon team and finished in the top ten in the Boston Marathon. In ultrarunning, Corbitt set standards that took others decades to match, including times of 13:33 for 100 miles and 5:35 for 50 miles after the age of 50. These performances were not the result of an abundance of natural talent. Corbitt was also a pioneer in high-mileage running, racking up 200-mile weeks and more at a time when even running 26.2 miles was considered bizarre behavior.
All that Ted Corbitt accomplished was done as a black man in a white man’s sport during America’s racially turbulent decades of the 1950s and 60s. Few know that Corbitt was the first president of the New York Road Runners Club. In addition to steering the NYRRC on course to what is now the biggest running organization in the world, he adopted the practice first used in England of wheel-measuring running courses for accuracy. For the thousands of races that have been accurately measured according to the USATF meticulous standards, you can thank Ted Corbitt. When the Road Runners Club of America was just getting started in the US, guess who they looked to for leadership? That’s right—Ted Corbitt. Ted was a charter inductee into the distance running Hall of Fame in 1998, a well deserved honor
Unfortunately, a bout with bronchial asthma in 1974 led the end of Ted Corbitt’s stellar running career. The ailment continued to plague Corbitt for more than next two decades, but he has seen marked improvement recently. Last month, at age 81, Corbitt returned to ultra competition, completing 240 miles in the Sri Chinmoy Six Day race. UR’s Don Allison recently talked with Ted, to get his thoughts on the six-day race and other topics.
UR: Why did you decide to try the six-day?
TC: I watched the race last year. That got me interesting in participating this year. I was apprehensive because of my limited training, but then I saw a lot of them (the participants) walking most of it, not running. That made me think I could do it too.
UR: How was your training leading up to the race?
TC: I planned to get in better shape than I actually did. My longest walk in training was 17 miles. I had hoped to do some 30-mile walks, but I encountered a problem with my feet. Two toes on each foot curled up in my shoes, making it painful to walk for a long time. Even wearing oversized shoes did not help.
UR: How has your overall health and fitness been in recent years? I know you have suffered from severe asthma for many years.
TC: The symptoms have lessened quite a bit. I have reduced the amount of medication I've been taking. One thing that has helped is a breathing class I have been taking with Dr. Ery Ferentz, a chiropractor who helps the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. I've also taken advice from an Iranian doctor, who suggested to drink water with a little salt.
I have done very little running, however. For some reason I can’t bring myself to run. I suppose that with the reduced asthma, there is no reason why I can’t, but I guess if I did run, or run too fast, I would be courting disaster. I have lingering issues with my Sacroiliac joint and with my knees, that would be aggravated by too much running.
UR: How long have you suffered from asthma?
TC: Since 1974, when I did my last running race. I always thought it was from the pollution in New York City, but I recently learned my grandmother died of asthma, as well as two aunts. The lived on a farm, so were not subject to pollution. That's three females in my family that died of asthma.
UR: Did the six-day go as well/better than you thought it would?
TC: My goal going in was 301 miles, 50 miles per day. I thought that was realistic. I was on schedule for the first three days. I made 150, the cut-off for three days. After that however, I could only manage 30 a day. I was disappointed with that, but not devastated. Maintaining my balance became a big problem. I'd be walking and go right off of road, especially at night, but even in the daytime too.
Another even bigger problem was that my posture collapsed. I was bent forward, and therefore looking directly down at the ground. That really hampered my progress. Dr. Ferentz helped me get straightened out, but before long I would be bent forward again. It took a lot energy to keep going, constantly correcting myself. Pure fatigue would not have stopped me, but the other problems did.
UR: What kind of schedule did you follow during the race?
TC: Based on a suggestion from Rich Inamorato, I walked for nine hours, then rested for three. That worked well. I have a real problem in the middle of the night, around 3:00 a.m. I call it the 3:00 a.m. blues. On days five and six, I took a lot of brief breaks. I would lie down on a cot. That helped the posture some. I'll say this: the posture problem took my mind of the fatigue!
UR: What was the most difficult aspect of the race?
TC: Just keeping going, especially when I realized I would not make 300 miles. But Rich Inamorato said I should focus on reaching 240 miles. That is 40 miles per day, and has a nice ring to it. It was close, but I made it with a few hours to spare. I did find it incredibly difficult to keep going, but surprisingly, I found that the fighting spirit was still there, after all these years.
UR:. What's is your take on today's ultra scene?
TC: I'm surprised there aren't more runners trying to run faster than they are. It's almost like the marathon. Why aren't more gems being produced, if all these people are out there training? I think it may be a case that different countries each have their day in the sun. I was in Finland in 1952 (for the Olympics) and developed a friendship with another physiotherapist with whom I have kept in touch. I asked her, why are not there more Finish superstars? At one time they dominated the world running scene. She said that they couldn't get them to train.
UR: How do you feel about the popularity of trail running nowadays?
TC: It's really popular. I suppose it meets a need. Recently I was trying to get in touch with Marcy Schwam, a real good road ultrarunner in the 70s, in order to promote her for the distance running hall of fame. I found out she had gotten into trail running, and she loves it.
UR: Did you ever try a trail ultra?
TC: No. I was supposed to go to one race down in Maryland, but could not do it because of a chronically sprained ankle. There was also the whole civil rights thing at that time. I would not have been a good candidate for trail ultras though, mainly because of the ankle.
UR: Do you think you would fare better in today's ultra environment? Do you feel you would be competitive with the USA's best?
TC: I think I'd be competitive yes, but winning? No.
UR: Do you ever look back and wonder how you achieved all you did in running? Do you feel you ran too much high mileage in your prime, or was it integral to your success?
TC: I made some mistakes. The biggest one was not resting enough before races. I always used to say that any time you do all of the training without getting injured, you cannot be overtrained. But I do also think I did not rest enough. There was some hidden fatigue there, which I either did not realize or I just ignored. I suffered from sleep depravation. At that time I was doing stuff for the NYRRC and the AAU standards committee, mostly developing standards for accurate course measurement.
I would come home from my job and running, then rest for ran hour or so. Then I'd stay up until 3:00 a.m. writing reports and working on projects. I'd sleep for about three hours, then get up to run and go to work. If I had it do over, I would do it all over again though. I feel the work I did for NYRRC and the AAU was far more important than any of my running accomplishments. I can't complain.
UR: What are some of your most memorable ultra performances?
TC: I'd have to say the London to Brigton races I competed in. I also ran a 100-mile race in England in 13:33. Then there was the 24-hour in England. It was miserable experience. I felt myself capable of 155 miles, but something wasn't right in training going into the race and it came back to bite me. I finished with 134.7 miles, but it was not a good race. I tried to get into top form every other year in my prime, not every year. I think that helped my performances.
UR: What was your training like back then?
TC: I ran a lot of mileage, but what saved me was that much of it was to and from work. In 1955, I moved from Brooklyn to Upper Manhattan, about 100 yards from the Bronx. I worked in Harlem, at the International Center for the Disabled, one of the oldest rehabilitation hospitals in the world. It was 11.6 miles from where I lived to work, but I would run all kinds of loops to get there, extending the distance.
Sometimes I'd run down into lower Manhattan. Occasionally, I'd make the run 30 miles by stopping en route and running 17 miles on the track. I left at 4:00 a.m. so I could get the run finished and to work by 9:00 a.m. Then I'd just have a quick shower and work a full day, on my feet for most of the day. I was born on a farm, so being on my feet with a lot of walking and running was nothing new to me.
UR: What advice would you give to an aspiring ultrarunner?
TC: I was an early advocate of weight training. I still am. I would start with a young runner by not having them running long distances. It's more important to improve speed and build strength. I'd suggest they spend time cycling, just getting stronger. Also do serious weight training for three or four months a year, then maintain it for the rest of the year. I would add flexibility training, help them survive the tightening of the hamstrings that comes with so much distance running. I'd suggest they become as good a runner as possible. Once you have that, then the endurance aspect will be easier.
For runners with goals that are not that ambitious, I'd say don't kill yourself. If you are in shape, you will suffer less. The fitter you are, the better off you'll be.
UR: How has you recovery been from the six-day?
TC: The recovery is good. I did some extra sleeping after the race. I have not done a training walk yet, just some short walks around the neighborhood. I'll be ready to walk again soon. I think I could run if I wanted to, but I am not sure I want to. It's easier to go out for a walk.
UR: What else are you doing these days?
TC: I am still doing some physical therapy, home care, a few hours per week. I retired from my job of 44 years at ICD in 1993. I am also studying computers, and plan to do some writing, a history of the NYRRC and on some subjects related to physiotherapy. I am still involved with NYRRC, as a member of the board of directors. I go to meetings.
UR: Do you have any plans for any more ultras?
TC: I am planning to go back next year and do the six-day again. Just one more year though. No more than that.
For a compete story on Ted Corbitt, readers should consult the biography by John Rhodes: Corbitt, The Story of Ted Corbitt, Long Distance Runner, 154 pp., paperback, published by Track and Field News.
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