PORT GAMBLE — After 48 marathons and 16 over-50 mile “ultra marathons,” one might expect that Port Gamble resident Pekka Termonen would be thinking about hanging up his running shoes.
But the 54-year-old said that as long as he’s able, he’ll never tire of the sport that has led him to run the equivalent of circling the globe three and a half times over.
“People ask, ‘How do you run so much?’ I say, ‘All you need is a good pair of shoes,’” Termonen said.
His latest accomplishment: an 18th-place finish in this year’s Seattle Marathon and a time of 2:54:17.
A native of Finland, Termonen has run marathons in the Pacific Northwest, Finland and England and has a goal to run in the world championships in Edmonton in 2005.
Termonen said he is motivated by the sense of accomplishment running provides.
“When you ask mountain climbers why they do what they do, they tell you, ‘When you reach the top, it’s so rewarding,’” Termonen said. “And you want to do it again. For me, the longer the distance, the better the feeling. You want to prove yourself.”
The health rewards are also a big motivator — as is the distraction to alternative choices he could make.
“I practice 10 hours a week — I would rather spend that time on the road than on the couch, eating and drinking beer,” he said.
Running is “good mental therapy” Termonen said he believes.
“People ask me what I think when I’m running. But so many things come into your head,” he explained.
His love of running stems from an early age. Growing up in Finland, he never enjoyed team sports in school — but when it came to running, he was often the best in his class.
“I was bad at other team sports,” Termonen said. “But when I raced in a 1k, I was the best in class without practice.”
Termonen came to the United States as an exchange student. Soon after starting at a Cedar Falls, Iowa high school, he tried out for the cross country and track team.
“(During high school) was the only time I had a coach,” Termonen said. “I never even had a very good mile time. But the longer the distance, the better for me.”
Termonen said he feels genetics have helped his ability to run: he cites muscle cell research as one reason he’s suited for distance running. Slower muscle cells in the body sustain energy for longer periods of time, which gives him what he said is an advantage.
“I have more slow muscle cells,” Termonen said. “But my sister jokes I also have slow cells in my brain.”
Termonen ran his first marathon, not expecting to break three hours, in September of 1974. When he ran the event in 2:38:35 in Turku, Finland, he was pleasantly surprised.
Termonen’s best marathon time came in 1978, when he set the course record in Pori, Finland with a 2:30:31 time. He did not stop at marathons though and has raced in several 100-kilometer and 50-mile runs as well. Last year, he ran the Crystal Mountain race on Mt. Rainier, a course with more than 5,000 feet of elevation change. Termonen finished the race in 7:45, the best in his age group.
“You have to walk up some of the trails,” Termonen said, adding that the course includes stairs and ladders due to harsh elevation gains. “I don’t know if you can call a race like that fun. It’s more like torture in a way.”
Termonen came to Port Gamble after marrying his wife Diane nearly two years ago. Taking on the Capital City Marathon in Olympia — his first on U.S. soil — Termonen came in at 2:50.
Training for Seattle
Termonen’s training regimen is rigorous — running 60 miles a week. Most often, he takes on a 15-mile loop starting in Port Gamble. Running along Highway 3 until Sawdust Hill Road, he then cuts east, runs to Port Gamble Road, and follows Highway 104 back home.
He increased this distance to 100 miles a week three weeks before the Seattle Marathon.
Much of the secret to Termonen’s success is his eating pattern leading up to a marathon. Six days before a race, he cuts out all carbohydrates from his diet, emptying his energy reserves. Three days prior, Termonen packs in the carbs, eating only breads and pastas to maximize his energy output.
“In my case, (this method) is very helpful,” he commented. “I usually feel fresh and powerful.”
Unfortunately, Termonen caught the flu bug during Thanksgiving but he was able to hold off getting sick until after his race.
Termonen and his wife Diane headed into Seattle via the Bainbridge ferry the night before the race to stay with Diane’s son Joseph in the city.
By the time morning arrived and the runners were preparing to leave the starting gates, Termonen said he already knew his finishing time.
“Ninety-nine percent of marathons I know within five minutes what my time will be,” he said. “I know my body now.”
Conditions for the Seattle marathon were less than perfect, with high winds slowing runners in the race. The course began at Seattle Center and took participants over the I-90 bridge to Mercer Island, then all the way south to circle Seward Park, and back to the finish at Memorial Stadium.
At the half-way mark, Termonen was in 30th place. But he was poised to make his move.
“When you pass a runner, it gives you even more energy,” Termonen said. “It’s a psychological thing.”
Many runners in front of Termonen at the half could not keep pace, and the Finnish-born runner took his chance. One runner, two, three, all passed by a veteran who knows how to pace a race — even if conditions are imperfect.
By the time he reached the finish line, Termonen had overtaken 12 runners and finished in 2:54:17 — a mere 43 seconds faster than the time he predicted for himself.
“I enjoy most the finish line,” he said.
After the race, Termonen took a week off from running, noting that a body weakened from a marathon requires rest. “You need time to recover,” he said.
He and his wife , who walked the half-marathon, did find time after the marathon to enjoy themselves in the city.
“We bought some fudge and coffee,” he said, “and enjoyed it with a good conscience.”
Termonen has not been a stranger to newspapers, which have often highlighted the runner’s talents over his 29-year career. At times, the press’ efforts have fallen short.
“My name has been spelled many different ways,” Termonen said, as he looked upon one of the grossest misspellings of his last name in a U.S. newspaper: “Tenmouck.”
Though his goal is to run the world championships in Edmonton, Termonen said he believes his personal running does not necessarily include an ending point — a goal.
“I’ll run as long as I am able,” he said.
