We were thrilled to learn that Magnolia’s own Bill Condon won the Tacoma Marathon last weekend.? He was kind?enough to do an interview over email with Magnolia Voice. Here’s what?we talked about:
MV: Congrats on your amazing finish in the Tacoma Marathon!? What can you tell us about the race?
BC: The race was on Sunday and had about 2,000 runners.? It was a great course with lots of supporters.? I was running in 3rd the majority of the race and passed the guy in 2nd at mile 18 and was able to catch the guy that was running in first at mile 24.? That guy had won the past 6 Tacoma marathons.? He finished about 2 minutes and 30 seconds behind me.? I finished in 2 hours and 43 minutes which is my 2nd best time.? My PR is 2:39.
MV: Where do you train?
BC: I mainly train in Magnolia.? Magnolia is a great place to run because of all the hills.? I run pretty much all over Magnolia (Blvd, Discovery Park, Viewmont, 28th, Government Way, Thorndyke, and the?Interbay area as well). I have a routine depending on how far I am going that day.? I usually run about 70 miles a week.
MV: How many marathons have you run?
BC: 11 ( I started running marathons in late 2010).
MV: How many have you won?
BC: I have won some half marathons but this is my first win for the full marathon.? I finished 3rd in the Coeur d?alene marathon, 4th in the Seattle marathon, 5th in the Denver marathon.
Condon was at the Boston Marathon earlier this Spring:
BC: I was in Boston with my dad and 5 year old son.? We were having lunch when the explosions happened. We were staying at the Fairmont hotel which was about 2 blocks from the explosions.? When we walked back from lunch to the hotel, it was a very sad and chaotic environment.? We will definitely be back next year and I will run in the marathon again and we will be there to support that great city.? Boston is a resilient city and I know that next year will most likely be the biggest year ever for Boston marathon supporters.? I ran the Boston marathon in 2011 and had a great experience.? This year I was injured going into the race and ended up having to pull out of the race at mile 12 due to my calf.? I was worried about running Tacoma so soon after being hurt in Boston but I started slower than normal for Tacoma and was able to close strong.? I was thinking about all of those people affected by the horrific attack in Boston and that was great motivation for me in Tacoma.? Boston did not deserve that nor did those innocent people that were caught up in that terrible tragedy.
MV: Any other thoughts you want to add would be great…
BC: Playing football, basketball, and baseball growing up? I used to think people that ran long distances were a? little crazy but then I started running and became a huge fan. I think that people can get caught up in how fast they are running and they shouldn’t pay attention to that, the key is to get out and challenge yourself and just do the best job that you can do.? There is always someone that will be faster than you.? There is a great feeling when you train for a race and cross the finish line.
MV: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, and congrats again on your huge accomplishment!
Nic
Great interview! Congratulations, Bill!
Congratulations!
Billy was money in those Frederick & Nelson commercials back in the day, and now it seems that he has applied those skills to long distance running. Tip of the cap, Mr. Condon.
Does Mister Condon run on Condon Way?
; )
Congrats Bill!