David Nevitt at a favourite running trail in Cole Harbour.
Published in: Weekly News
Written by: Joanne Oostveen
Photo by: Gail Kanasevich
After 600 races of almost every distance, including 9 ultra marathons and a personal best of 2:44 in a marathon, a 34:49 10K, a 4:46 mile and a 100 miler in 23:44.08, Dartmouth runner Dave Nevitt says he still has some goals to reach.
“When I race the Tartan Twosome this September it will be my 98th marathon and it will be a good one to run here at home,” he said.
Nevitt’s first 42.2 K was 20 years ago in Halifax at the Micheline Marathon. At age 32 he didn’t know how fast he had to run to qualify for the famed Boston marathon, but he set out to see what his legs could handle.
And his legs handled the marathon quite well.
“I ran a 3:10 and was told I qualified. And that was it, I went to Boston for the first time that year.”
Nevitt says he has always been attracted to races that bill themselves as challenges. Races like the Tartan Twosome Challenge on September 14 and 15 in Eastern Passage that give runners the opportunity to run in two races the same weekend.
In the past few years he has competed in the Gaspiralla Michelob Ultra Challenge, which includes racing both a 15k and a 5K on the Saturday and a full marathon the next day in Tampa, the Bermuda Triangle Challenge held over three days with a one miler, a 10K and a full and the Warrior Challenge, a race that offers a one miler, 5K and a full marathon .
“There are runners who like these kind of challenge races and I am one of them. They seem to be getting bigger every year. They are above and beyond the normal races and plus you get an extra medal,” said Nevitt.
Being called crazy is nothing new to Nevitt.
“There are bragging rights to doing challenges. And once you have done one you get back at it and want to do another.”
By the end of 2012, Nevitt hopes to have completed his 100th full marathon.
joanneoostveen@accesswave.ca
For more information on the Tartan Twosome, go to www.maritimeraceweekend.com . The Weekly News is a proud sponsor of Maritime Race Weekend.