Lowell Sun, Tuesday, April 17^th, 1979

Third in Boston Marathon: Bob Hodge runs the ‘race of his life’

By Dennis Whitton

BOSTON – They came from 50 states and 28 foreign countries. They came with lofty reputations and high expectations. They came, on a cold and rainy April day, to "do Boston."

Ninety of these marathon men had broken 2:20, a time that could win many a 26-mile, 385-yard race; a time that would have won Boston three years ago. It was an unbelievable assembly of running talent.

Bob Hodge was not among those 90 who had broken 2:20. Bob Hodge’s best time before yesterday was 2:28. Good time, but not if you like to win.

Yesterday Bob Hodge, who grew up not in Tokyo nor in Boulder, Colo., but in the Acre section of Lowell, finished an amazing third in the 83^rd Boston Marathon. Third out of nearly 8,000 official runners, a field of the highest quality and quantity in marathon history. Third behind Bill Rodgers of Melrose and Toshihiko Seko of Japan.

It came without warning. No one – least of all, perhaps, Hodge – expected this minor miracle. In a race where the lowest qualifying times get the lowest numbers, Hodge was burdened with No. 1066. He didn’t start in the front rows with the Rodgers’, the Frank Shorters and the Randy Thomas’. If he had he may have given the three-time winner a run for his money.

"He can run, but that was one tough field," said his proud father, William Hodge of 107 Fulton St., Lowell when he heard the news. "We didn’t think he’d do third. It’s wonderful."

"Hodge? Three?" exclaimed an incredulous Rodgers after the race. "That just goes to show you there’s no rhyme or reason to the marathon."

"I figured I might make it in the top 20," said the 23-year-old Hodge, who moved from Lowell to Hanover last spring. "I was aiming for a 2:15, and at the top of Heartbreak Hill I figured I’d do no worse than top 10."

Hodge, the record holder in the short Mt. Washington race finished in 2:12:30, three minutes behind Rodgers, 2:18 behind Seko and 26 seconds ahead of Tom Fleming.

He ran the race of his life through the cold, wet streets from Hopkinton to the Prudential Center.

As a kid, Bob Hodge lived on Butterfield Street, near the North Common. He didn’t get involved in any serious running until he attended Lowell High, and even now he sees himself as more of a short-distance runner than a marathoner.

Hodge then moved on to the University of Lowell while his family moved on to Fulton Street. He attained All-American status at ULowell along with Vinnie Fleming who also came out of nowhere to finish fifth in the 1977 BAA.

Last spring Bob went to Hanover, where he now works at "The Runnery", a sporting goods store specializing in jogging supplies.

A few of the "experts" picked him to finish as high as tenth yesterday, but most discounted the possibility of his showing up this world class field.

How did it happen? How did a 2:28 part-time marathoner slice 16 minutes off his time? Dumb luck is how Hodge explains it. Hard work argues Rodgers.

"I didn’t expect Hodge to do so well," said his GBTC teammate. "But he’s a talented, dedicated runner and he’s been with Greater Boston for years. I congratulate him."

"When you train for a marathon you don’t do anything different," said Hodge. "Its just a variation of other races, so all you can do is go longer. I averaged 105 miles a week for 10 weeks previous to Boston. I don’t run too many marathons. This was my fourth." One hundred five miles a week is not a tremendous amount for a marathoner. Rodgers often runs 170.

Still, the soft-spoken Hodge, who sprung the biggest surprise of the race and left various champions in his wake, seemed to be fairly unimpressed with the whole thing.

"It’s no big deal when its done," said Hodge, curiously. "In fact it’s kind of depressing when its over because you have to go out and do it again. They expect it all the time now."

Hodge, in fact, did seem a bit depressed as he bundled up in the damp underground garage beneath the Prudential. But he said he’d get over it. "I guess it hasn’t sunk in/. In a few hours I’ll be happy about it," he said.

Hodge started the race in back of the pack of frontrunners, but by Natick (10.4 miles) he was striding confidently among the leaders, holding down seventh position behind the day’s rabbit, Tom Fleming. Rodgers, meanwhile was in fifth.

At Wellesley Square (13.4 miles), Hodge had slipped to eighth as Garry Bjorkland and Seko began making their moves. Fleming held the lead but Rodgers was breathing down his neck.

Good news arrived 17.5 miles into the race, at the Woodland Park checkpoint, where Hodge, his No. 1066 sounding strange among the single digits of the other leaders, moved to fifth. He trailed Bjorkland, Rodgers, Seko and the fast-fading Fleming.

By Lake Street (21.6 miles), Rodgers had a 150-yard lead, Seko was in second and Bjorkland and Fleming were in front of Hodge, running fifth.

When the runners hit Coolidge Corner, a mere two miles left to be contested, Hodge had slipped ahead of Fleming. The crowd, associating his number with that of an underdog, cheered him on wildly. By the time the finish line appeared he had roared past Bjorkland and grabbed his trophy.

He never seriously considered the prospect of actually, just maybe, catching the Melrose marvel and winning the race.

"Billy is so strong, I had no illusions of catching him," said Hodge, who will go to the Olympic trials for both the 10,000 meters and the marathon.

Explaining his strategy, the Lowell man said, "I planned to stay fairly close to the leaders. I thought I went out too hard but that can’t be helped. I ran the first 10 miles faster than I ever had before."

Hodge said that at the time he felt he may have burned himself out by the quick start. "(Teammate) Dick Mahoney and I talked to each other early on in the race and said ‘we blew it’ by going so fast. So I just tried to hang in from there."

"I try not to think of it as different than any other race but when I reached 20 miles, with a million spectators cheering you on, I realized it’s a helluva lot different."

It was different for Bob Hodge. The boy who grew up in the Acre and holds the 16-lap Lowell High Annex Phys. Ed Run record, is now the man who took third in the Boston Marathon.