04/13/2001

Approximately 115 area runners will converge upon the streets of Boston for Monday's 105th Boston Marathon. The Patriots Day celebration remains one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious sporting events.

Calendar

Runners revere the venerable Boston Marathon because they must qualify to participate. Veterans praise the runner-friendly start at Hopkinton and the inspirational crowds.

"Boston is the greatest marathon in the world," said Dallas' Paul Artt. "The biggest thing is the spectators. They're so supportive. Everyone there lives and breathes the marathon."

What follows are vignettes on four area runners entered in Monday's marathon. For most, this is a return trip they're eager to repeat. For all, qualifying to run Boston is an opportunity they couldn't pass up.

Larry Adams, 50, of Dallas, a lawyer with Jenkins and Gilchrist, will be running his 10th consecutive Boston. Nagging injuries could make Monday's marathon one of his most challenging among the 20 he's completed.

He has endured hamstring problems the past 18 months. He had planned to run New York last fall. The injury forced him to pull out. He said he's still struggling with the tight muscle, and he hasn't tested it over a long distance recently.

But this is Boston.

"You hate not to go," he said. "You might not get another chance."

Linda Scott, 47, of Dallas did not enjoy her first Boston Marathon in 1997. She found the race so exhausting that she refused to return for three years. But she tried again last year, and she can't wait to get back to Boston for her third time.

" It's quite an honor to qualify," said Scott, who has completed 25 marathons since 1989. "The older I get, the harder it will be to qualify. I want to do it every year I can."

Scott said she won't set any personal records with her finish time, which she expects to be around four hours. She said she won't push herself because she completed the Dallas Trails Marathon just three weeks ago.

"I was running one marathon a year, and then I started getting crazy," she said. "I've run three in five months. I'll just run to finish. I may never qualify again."

Todd "Tiny" Thomas, 40, of Dallas, a scout for the San Francisco Giants, will make his Boston debut in only his second marathon ever. The former pro baseball player finished the White Rock Marathon last December in 3:18:54.

"My sole goal was to run a good enough time to qualify for Boston, and then walk around the rest of my life saying I qualified for Boston. I had absolutely no intention of running [Boston]."

The Boston Marathon lands in the middle of the busy season for a baseball scout. The amateur draft is the first week of June. He compared taking off a few days now to a CPA taking off in late March a few weeks before the tax deadline.

As it turned out, Thomas needed a technicality to make the trip even a faint hope.

The Boston qualifying time for men 35 to 39 years old is 3:15, which he narrowly missed. But he celebrated his birthday last month. The qualifying time is based on one's Boston Marathon race day age. Turning 40 bumped Thomas to the 40- to 44-year-old age group and gave him five extra qualifying minutes.

Thomas mentioned his achievement to his boss, Dick Tidrow, the Giants' scouting director and director of player development. Tidrow and Giants general manager Brian Sabean, a runner originally from the New England area, encouraged him to wear Giants sportswear and enjoy the race.

"They're unbelievably supportive," Thomas said.

Paul Artt, 45, of Dallas will make his fourth start at Boston. He last ran Boston in 1996 for the 100th anniversary. He said he was thrilled to qualify again even if he did so by a narrow margin. He needed to complete a qualifying marathon in 3 hours, 25 minutes. He clocked a 3:24:54.

Artt started running in 1977 following major knee surgery. He said he did extensive rehabilitation and has been religious about doing exercises to strengthen his quadriceps ever since.

"The doctors didn't think I'd be able to run," he recalled. "But I don't run in pain. I've completed 30 marathons."

CALENDAR

SATURDAY, APRIL 14 – 7th Camper Scamper 5K and 1-mile run-walk, Reverchon Park (Maple Avenue at Turtle Creek), Dallas, 5K 8:30 a.m., 1-mile 9:15 a.m., $15 through Friday, $18 race day, 214-360-0056.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14 – Run to Joe's 5K, Fort Worth Stockyards, opposite Joe T. Garcia's Restaurant, Fort Worth, 8 a.m., $18, 817-626-9398, ext.105, www.active.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 15 – Fort Worth Runners Club Karl and Dave's 5K Venture, Ol' South Pancake House, University Drive, Fort Worth, 8 a.m., $5 members, $8 others, 817-595-4013 or 817-654-5390.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15 – 15th Bunny Hop Run, Norbuck Park, Dallas, 4 p.m. 2-mile, 4:30 p.m. 4-mile run $17 through April 8, $19 after, $23 race day, $10 for second race, 214-890-7722 or www.active.com

MONDAY, APRIL 16 – 105th Boston Marathon, 11 a.m. CST (ESPN2), 508-435-6905 or 617-236-1652, www.bostonmarathon.org

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – Carefest 6K-3K, Grapevine Cotton Belt Railroad Historic District, Grapevine, 6K, 3K and 9K combo challenge, 9 a.m., $18 through April 20, $20 race day, 972-715-4101 or www.carefest.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – 10TH MADD Dash Classic 10K/5K/1-mile run-walk, Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake, Dallas, $15 through Saturday, $18 after, 214-637-0372.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – Rise School's Rise and Shine 5K walk-run, The Crescent, Pearl & McKinney, Dallas, $18 through April 20, $20 race day, Children under 10 $10, Early Riser Kids' 1K 8:15 a.m., Rise & Shine 5K 8:30 a.m., 214-528-1290 or www.lukeslocker.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – Victory over Violence 5K and 1-mile run-walk, Trinity Park Pavilion, Fort Worth, 8 a.m., $15 through Saturday, $18 after, 817-927-4006 or www.womencenter.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – Garner Elementary Run with the Stars 5K and 1-mile, Garner Elementary School, 145 Polo Road, Grand Prairie, 8:30 a.m., $12 through Saturday, $15 after, 972-262-5000 or 817-460-1055.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – UNT Earth Day Dash 5K, Greenbelt Trail, Highway 380 entrance (approximately 3 miles east of Loop 288), Denton, $13 through April 16, $15 after, 940-387-0859.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – The Eagle Run, Ben Gill Park Pavilion, Highway 80 & Ninth Street, Terrell, 9 a.m., $13 through Saturday, $15 after, $18 race day, 972-563-5291 or 214-887-6354 or mwhitt

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – Arlington Runners Club Camp out Trail Run, Cedar Hill State Park, 972-641-0079.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 – YMCA Strutters Duathlon (10K run/74K bike/10K run and 5K run/30K bike/5K run), ITU World Long-Course Qualifier and USA Triathlon-South Midwest Regional Short Course Championship, Middle Concho Park, San Angelo, 8:30 a.m. Long course: individual $55 and team $80 through April 19; individual $70 and team $90 on April 20. Short course: individual: $50 and team $65 through April 19; individual $60 and team $75 on April 20, 915-655-9106 or 817-355-1279 or http://home1.gte.net/ironjack.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22 – Bagel Run 5K, Jewish Community Center (JCC), 7900 Northaven, Dallas, $18 through Monday, $23 after, 8:30 a.m., 214-739-2737, ext. 227.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22 – 8th Runaway Train Half Marathon, Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake, Dallas, 7 a.m., $24 through April 15, $27 after, $33 race day, 214-890-7722 or www.active.com