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 2014, he competed for Team USA at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Austria. Here are some other other career highlights:
SUMMARY OF RACES
483 running races, 61 bike events, 64 kayak races, 1 triathlon
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 from 2005-2024 (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)
National 50-Mile Championships: 4th place
World Masters Mountain Running Championships: 1st U.S. man
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 (1st US man)
Sept. 6, 2014: World Masters Mountain Running Championships (Telfes, Austria), 53rd in age group (2nd US man)
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.)