Marathon, a self portrait

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12''

2012, painting #212

The Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, CA invited me last summer to take part in an invitational group show entitled ''Face Yourself'' that will feature artist self portraits. The invite stated, ''This can be conceived from your own point of view, how you think people view you, etc...You can get as creative as you want, there are no rules. I think the possibilities are endless and the outcome of the show is going to be fabulously unexpected and fun''.

I really went outside the box for this one, and literally inside a jar. Although I have been painting for 25 years, my artistic professional career only began 10 years ago. Prior to 2002, I completed an average of only two paintings per year. For a full decade, my main focus during my spare time was pursuing my dream of being a marathon runner.

I started running in 1976 at age 14 while in junior High School. The Summer Olympics held in Montreal that same year would leave an indelible mark on me. When Canadian Olympian Jerome Drayton won the Boston Marathon the following spring in 1977, his victory would ignite the flame within me to become a long distance runner and to one day follow in his footsteps.

The journey getting there was long and arduous. After competing in athletics and cross country races in junior and high school, I made the transition to road races.  During my twenties, I had my share of running related injuries and was diagnosed at age 26 with heel strike hemolysis. A long standing condition I had developed  where there is a breakdown of red blood cells in the capillary vessels of the feet upon the impact resulting in anaemia. This was corrected with iron supplement and kept in-check afterwards while continuing the therapy. 

In September 1992,  at age 30, the stars finally aligned for me and I would run my first full marathon. I had waited so long for this day, and thought it might be my one and only, so I decided to go big and run the Toronto Marathon, the city where my hero Jerome Drayton lived. I was so overwhelmed by it all and remember being teary eyed several times during the race. Half way in, I was still on pace to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With about 5 miles to go, I would hit the wall. I would however get a second wind on the final mile and had enough left in the tank to sprint the last 200m as we were greeted inside Varsity Stadium where a massive jumbo screen was set up and spectators in the bleachers cheers us in. I finished in a time of 3h22:10. It was a defining moment in my life and from that point on, I was hooked.  

My next goal was to achieve the qualifying standard for the Boston Marathon which was 3h10:59 for a male runner under 35. This would finally happen three years later on May 14, 1995 at the Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glascow, Nova Scotia. My wife was 38 weeks pregnant with our only child. On this very difficult course, I would achieve a personal best of 3h11:30. Certain marathons are are allotted several seconds in consideration when the terrain is more challenging and hilly, and this one certainly was. I would find out later that year that my clocking would stand and I received my ticket to the start line of the historical 100th running of the Boston Marathon that was held on April 15, 1996. I was ecstatic beyond words. Running my first Boston Marathon easily qualifies as the greatest moment of my whole athletic journey. The history behind this event is rich and is considered by many as the people's Olympics. It has always been held on the third Monday of April on Patriots Day. The inaugural running of the Boston Marathon took place in 1897. It was inspired by the marathon of the first Olympiads of modern era held in Athens, Greece the previous year.

In total, I completed 22 marathons and every one hold a special place in my heart. From the get-go, I decided to combine the races with travelling, and visiting art galleries and museums whenever possible. For the exception of three Boston Marathons (1996, 1999 and 2000) and two New York City Marathons (1994, 2002), all the others were in different towns and cities, twelve in the United States, nine in Canada plus the Bermuda Marathon. 

In the composition for this painting, the photograph of myself was taken during the last mile of the 1999 Boston Marathon.

The seven bid numbers used in the composition are among the marathons which hold the most importance on various levels.  From the top left -clockwise: 

1- New York City Marathon - 2002 - This would turn out to be the curtain call of my marathon career. I learned in late June that my application had been selected among the Canadian Roster going to the Big Apple. A week later, on July 4, I herniated a disc in my neck at C-7 while lifting weights at a gym. The next month would turn out to be the most challenging health problem of my entire life. With the help of a chiropractor, acupuncturist and physiotherapy, I was able to recover sufficiently to resume running seven weeks later. Progress was slow at first and it took me another month to be able to run 10 km without adding to much stress on my back.  Afterwards, I did my best to focus on endurance rather than speed. Almost 4 months after the injury, on November 3, I was able to complete the course in 3:39:42. Almost 30 minutes slower than my PB, but a personal victory on every level. Only a year had passed since the event of the 9-11 disaster on the World Trade Centre and visiting the site during the aftermath was a numbing experience.

Bill Rodgers is a 4-time New York City and

4-time Boston Marathon Champion. 
One of the greatest ambassador the sport has ever known.

2- Maine Marathon - 1998. The Maine Marathon was a tour-de-force effort and possibly the defining moment of my whole running experience. The previous week on September 27,  I ran the Clarence Demar Marathon in Keene, N.H. I was in the best shape of my life. I had clocked several personal best during that summer including a 30:10 on a 5 miler, a 1:04:01 for a 10 miler and a half marathon in 1:26:26. I honestly believe that I could run under 3h05 and qualify for the upcoming Boston Marathon. I now needed a sub 3h15 which seemed like a sure bet. Up until 10km, I was still in fine form. Then the sun came out it to play and it became blistering hot and humid. I really don't deal well with heat. My inner thermostat just shuts down and I lose all speed. On that day I could only manage a 3:32:17.  I was devastated. I remember sitting on the steps of a building on the University campus and breaking down in tears. A series of fortunate event in the following days lead me to the Maine Marathon 7 days later. I had not fully recovered from the previous week, but was really determined to return to Boston.  I started conservatively and pace myself accordingly. With about 5 miles to go, a lone woman on the side of the road was cheering me on and said, "You're looking good, now that them one at a time". As my head turned towards the voice, I realized that it was none other than Joan Benoit Samuelson. She is a resident of nearby Freeport  Maine and had just completed the half marathon in 1:17:11. She is better known as the first women to win an Olympic Gold medal at the marathon distance during the Los Angeles Olympiads of 1984. She is also a past winner of both the Chicago and the Boston Marathons. This had to be the most surreal moment of any of my races. During the final mile I had to slow down as I started to experience leg cramps. I had my eyes on my watch and manage to reach the finish line in 3:13:10. The qualifying period for the Boston Marathon runs from October to September of the following year. On this October 4th, I would qualify for both the 1999 and 2000 edition of the Boston Marathon.

3- The 100th running of the Boston Marathon - 1996. During the sports expo, I got to meet several legendary runners including Jacqueline Gareau (1980 Boston winner), Joan Benoit Samuelson and Steve Jones. Jones is a former world record holder at the marathon distance and a past winner of both the Chicago and New York City Marathons. He also won the 1992 Toronto Marathon which was my first. I was fortunate to get all three to autograph my bib number. Gareau's signature is hidden behind the mason jar.

4- The Toronto Marathon - 1992 - My first marathon as previously described.

5- The Fredericton Marathon - 2001. (Runner's World bib). This marathon was a long time coming as I first considered running it while I was 20 years old. At the time my anemia had yet to be diagnosed and running beyond 13.1 mile or a half marathon seemed improbable. I finally ran it when I was 39. It would also be my best placing, finishing 5th overall. During my entire marathon career, I always trained alone. Runner's World Magazine would become my best buddy. It was my main source of motivation, my trainer, my dietitian and how I selected the races.

6- The Johnny Miles Marathon - New Glascow, NS.- 1995. This was the qualifying race that earned me my first birth for the Boston Marathon. Johnny Miles was a past winner of the Boston Marathon in 1926 and 1929. Every year he would make is way from Hamilton Ontario as the official race starter. That year, the 91 year old could not make it as his wife had fallen ill. Johnny Kelley, the runner who's name is most closely associated with the Boston Marathon was invited as his replacement. The then 87 year old legend, winner of the 1935 and 1945 Boston Marathon and a 61 time finisher of the race, yes, you read right, 61 times.... not only fired the start gun, but ran the first few miles with us. The following year, he was invited as a guest speaker before the start of the Centennial Boston Marathon. He warmed up the crowd with his heart-felt rendition of ''Young at heart''. I had the honour of meeting him during registration of the Johnny Miles Marathon. He died in 2004 at the age of 97.

7- The Chicago Marathon - 1993. When I ran the Chicago Marathon, it was during it's rebuilding phase. Less than 7000 runners took part that year. The course is considered among the fastest in North America. Steve Jones had clocked a world record and Joan Benoit Samuelson, a world 2nd best time here. I also wanted to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, which made the trip even more pleasurable. The marathon was run on Halloween Day. During the pre-race expo, I got to meet Frank Shorter, one of my childhood idols. Victorious in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, he was also the runner-up four years later at the Montreal Olympiads. His victory is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States during the 1970s. He was ranked #1 marathoner in the world during the first half of the seventies. On marathon Sunday, the Windy City lived up to it's name and snow was added in the mix. On this, my third marathon, I had a breakthrough run lowering my time by more than 5 minutes to a 3:16:45 and finishing in the top 7%. 

By using a Mason jar, I am essentially preserving the memory of a self from a not so distance past, during a period where I physically felt the most alive and invincible.

UPDATE- January 5, 2013
This painting is currently on exhibit in ''Face Yourself'', an Invitational group show being held from January 3-31, 2013 at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, California.

Participating artists includes the talents of Lisa Alonzo, Teresa N. Fischer, Jeff Nebeker, Rogelio Manzo, Elizabeth Barlow, Jennifer Balkan, Ryoko Tajiri, Kenney Mencher, Micah Crandall-Bean, Byran Mark Taylor, John Tarahteeff, Jelaine Faunce, Randy Brennan, Gale Hart, Terry Pappas, Maren Conrad, Gary Pruner, Patricia Wall and John Karl Claes. Viewing at this LINK.

UPDATE- April 16, 2013
In the wake of the tragic events that unfolded yesterday with bombings at the finish line as the Boston Marathon was on it's final stages, you have to wonder; "What is this world coming to?" It is almost inconceivable that such a glorious event can become the target of an act of terrorism for all of the unsuspecting innocent runners, spectators, organizers and volunteers. This will surely add to the already complex measures taken when staging future grand scale sporting events as far as security issues are concerned. My heart and prayers goes out to those whose lives were lost or were injured. Also to people of Boston and to all those involved in dealing with the crisis and the aftermath, I feel your pain.

In Light and Love,
Alvin  
   

To inquire about this painting please contact:

Elliott Fouts Gallery

1831 P. Street Sacramento, California, USA , 95811 

Phone (916) 736-1429 

e-mail: efgallery@sbcglobal.net