Athlete
Bob, a competitive endurance athlete since age 14, engages in some combination of cycling, mountain biking, kayaking and hiking/walking every week. In 2023, he completed the Sacramento Century (100-mile bike event) and extended his streak to 61 straight wins in the sit-on-top division at kayak races. In 2022, he finished the Tierra Bella 74-Mile Bike Tour In 2014, he competed for Team USA at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Austria, and one week later, placed second in his age group at the Whiteface Uphill Footrace (3,500-foot-climb in 8 miles) in upstate New York. Here are some other other career highlights:
SUMMARY OF RACES
479 running races, 60 bike events, 62 kayak races, 1 triathlon through 2019
32 marathon finishes
13 ultramarathon finishes
29 top-10 finishes at marathons and ultras
18 top-3 finishes at marathons and ultras
4 wins at marathons and ultras
62 consecutive boat-class wins at kayak races (course-record holder, 101 Sports/San Rafael 2-Mile , 101 Sports/San Rafael 5-Mile (double kayak), and Sea Trek Regatta/Sausalito 3.6-Mile)
NON-COMPETITIVE MULTI-DAY RUNS
Coast to Coast Relay (13 runners, ages 13-30), Half Moon Bay, CA to Manahawkin, NJ (3421 miles): 19 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes. I averaged 15.0 miles per two-hour leg, resting 24 hours between each one. Averaged 4.5 hours sleep per night. July 1973.
Mexico-to-Canada Coast Relay (13 runners), Tijuana, MEX to Sumas, WA: 9 days, 18 hours. I ran 141 miles in the first week, resting 24 hours between each two-hour leg. Averaged 5 hours sleep per night. August 1981.
Tahoe-Yosemite Trail: Emerald Bay (Lake Tahoe) to Mirror Lake (Yosemite Natl. Park) in 4 days. Averaged 42.5 miles per day (total of 170 miles). Averaged 11 hours a day on the trail. Four others finished the run, including Western States 100-Mile champions Mike Catlin and Jim Howard. August 1979.
SELECTED RACE HIGHLIGHTS
FIRST ROAD RACE, AT AGE 14:
May 21, 1969: Bay to Breakers 12K, 53:36, placing 595th
FIRST MARATHON FINISH, AT AGE 18:
February 11, 1973: West Valley Marathon (San Mateo), 3:14:37, 86th place
FIRST TOP-10 MARATHON FINISH, AT AGE 20:
August 3, 1974: Ocean to Bay Marathon (Half Moon Bay to Belmont), 2:56:03, 7th place
FIRST ULTRAMARATHON:
Feb. 22, 1976: PA-AAU 50-Mile Championships (Marysville to Sacramento), 6:30:44, 2nd place
FIRST MARATHON VICTORY:
Sept. 5, 1976: Silver State Marathon (Reno, NV), 2:39:09, 1st place
FIRST OF SEVEN SUB-2:30 MARATHONS:
Dec. 11, 1976: PA-AAU Championships/Livermore Marathon, 2:28:36, 2nd place
LIFETIME-BEST MARATHON:
May 1, 1977: Avenue of the Giants Marathon (Weott, CA), 2:26:11, 6th place (1080 finishers)
BEST MARATHON PERFORMANCE:
July 10, 1977: San Francisco Marathon (PA-AAU Championships), 2:28:29, 3rd place (841 finishers): hills, wind, three bathroom stops.
BEST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Sept. 10, 1977: National AAU 50 Mile Championships (Santa Monica), 5:45:12, 4th place
BEST 50K:
April 3, 1978: PA-AAU 50K Championships (Davis), 3:06:10, 2nd place
BEST 50-MILE:
Feb. 25, 1979: PA-AAU 50 Mile (Marysville to Sacramento), 5:42:45, 3rd place
LONGEST RACE:
May 26, 1979: Woodside Track 100K (90+ degrees), 9:17:47, 2nd place
BEST ULTRA PERFORMANCE:
April 12, 1981: American River Trail 50M (Folsom to Sacramento), 5:42:48, 2nd place (270 finishers)
LAST SUB-2:30 MARATHON AND LAST MARATHON VICTORY:
Feb. 5, 1983: Bakersfield Marathon, 2:28:10, 1st place
FOREIGN RACES:
January 20, 1985: Manila International Marathon, 2:38:51, 19th place (1200 finishers)
Sept. 12, 2009: World Masters Mountain Running Championships (Zagreb, Croatia), 50th in age group
BEST HALF MARATHON:
Nov. 16, 1986: Pursuit of Excellence Half Marathon (Redwood City), 1:12:20, 1st place
BEST MASTERS RACE:
Feb. 2, 1996: All Comers Track 5,000m (Berkeley), 16:51, 1st place
LONGEST WIN STREAK:
2005-2023: Eighteen straight wins in the Sit-on-Top Boat Class (all ages), Sea Trek Kayak Regatta, Sausalito, CA.
PERSONAL BEST
1M 4:32 1974 CSM All Comers track
2M 9:35 1974 Menlo College All Comers track
3M 14:53 1975 CSUS track
5K 15:26 1983 May Day 5K & Sri Chinmoy 5K (SF/same time)
4M 20:37 1983 San Jose Mercury News 10K (split)
5M 25:50 1983 San Jose Mercury News 10K (split)
10K 31:59 1983 San Jose Mercury News 10K
10M 53:30 1983 California 10 Mile (Stockton)
Half Mar. 1:12:20 1986 Pursuit of Excellence (Redwood City)
20M 1:52:38 1974 Pepsi 20 Mile (Clarksburg)
Marathon 2:26:11 1977 Ave. of the Giants (Weott)
50K 3:06:10 1978 PA-AAU Championships (Davis)
50M 5:42:45 1979 PA-AAU Championships (Marysville/Sacramento)
100K 9:17:47 1979 Woodside Track Races
40+ PERSONAL BESTS
2M 10:48 1994 Run to the Heavens (San Anselmo)
5K 16:51.1 1996 All Comers 5000m (Berkeley)
5K (road) 16:54 1997 Run to the Far Side 5K (S.F.)
4M 22:23 1995 Run for the Seals (Marin)
8K 28:21 1998 Juana Run (Palo Alto)
10K 35:18 1994 Hook & Ladder (S.F.)
12K 44:17 1995 Houlihan’s to Houlihan’s 12K (Marin/S.F.)