Home | Subscribe | Contact Us | Advertise Home | Subscribe | Contact Us | Advertise
Wayne Martin has logged thousands of miles on dozens of sneakers. The vice president of sales operations for American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., has run the Twin Cities Marathon eight times, as well as the Chicago Marathon, Grandma’s Marathon, and the Marine Corps Marathon. When he’s not running marathons, Martin runs 5 and 10 kilometer races. He also bikes and skis—downhill, cross-country and water. By the way, Martin, 54, didn’t start his vigorous exercise routines until he was more than 40 years old.
A heart attack in 1994 opened the door to his new lifestyle. “We were boating one day, and I had a heart attack,” he says. “I didn’t know it. I thought it was heart burn.” Martin had two angioplasty procedures and doctors put in a stent. “I decided to get somewhat serious about regular exercise,” he says.
Martin’s dedication to running has filtered into his professional life. He and some co-workers typically meet year-round in the morning before work and run five miles together. They bounce ideas off each other, sometimes becoming so excited that the pace speeds up. When he runs alone, Martin uses the time to work out ideas: “I think running makes me better at business,” he says. “I’m more energized, and I spend a tremendous amount of time thinking about work during my runs.”
Running and business also coincided last October when Dan Ashworth, owner of manufacturer Ashworth Awards, North Attleboro, Mass., offered Martin a VIP pass to enter the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., and run with his wife, Kimberly Ashworth. Dan Ashworth, whose company makes awards medals and medallions, participates in the marathon’s annual Race Director Boot Camp the weekend prior. Ashworth held a workshop on wearables for 60 race directors from all over the country. Martin used the opportunity to network as well: “Dan knows the people that own businesses that support the racing industry,” says Martin, “and I got to meet them.”
On Saturday, Martin ate a final, carbo-loading pasta meal and prepared his signature energy drink, a mixture of clear Gatorade, diet Mountain Dew and sugar-free Red Bull. “I mix my own liquids for events,” he says. “I alter the amount of Mountain Dew and Red Bull to have more at the start, then more of it’s Gatorade later in the event.”
One hour before the run, Martin ate a PowerBar, followed by a second PowerBar 30 minutes before the event. Because they had VIP passes, Martin and Kimberly Ashworth lined up towards the front of the race, which attracted nearly 34,000 participants.
The Marine Corps Marathon, known as “The People’s Marathon,” stretches 26.5 miles through the heart of Washington, D.C. During the run, participants pass the National Mall, the Lincoln monument, the FDR, Jefferson, Korean War and Vietnam Veterans memorials, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol building and the Pentagon. The race ends at the Marine Corps War Memorial, a sculpture of soldiers raising the U.S flag at Iwo Jima.
“You really see a lot of Washington, D.C., on this run,” says Martin. “A lot of people ran in honor of someone in the military. There was a lot of emotion wrapped up in the event.” Martin and Kimberly crossed the finish line together in four hours, 12 minutes and 18 seconds.
“When I pick a different event to do, it’s about setting a goal and then working towards that goal,” says Martin. “If you’ve done everything right, then when you get there, sit back and enjoy it.” Martin already is moving towards his next goal. Most runners take time off to let their bodies recover, especially after a marathon. “They say to take a week off, then start running lightly,” he says. “This year, I took two days off.”
—Andy Brown