Jimmy Hearld!!!!!!

Hearld made a 6+ minute improvement from 2:19:00 down to 2:12:49, wow very good job!

Totally awesome. I can't believe only a few people have posted on this. Hearld deserves some props.

sick pr

Nice job Jimmy!

Is he still living and training in Kentucky?

Yep, he's still here, we can't get him to go away;)

Seriously, we're all "psyched" for him. He's been busting his ass for years...glad to see it come together.

I ran with Jimmy just about every day for 3 years, so I personally saw the work he put in. In that time the only recognition he got was because he was Sean Dollman's training partner, even though he beat the likes of Pat Porter in his prime. There is not a nicer, more deserving person out there. Jimmy " the bitch" Hearld you rock baby.

I had the pleasure of being a teammate of Jimmy Hearld at Southeast Missouri. He is without a doubt the toughest guy I have ever met. True Story: When Jimmy was 5, he was burned over about 30% of his body. He tried to climb the stove to get to some cookies, inadvertantly turning on one of the burners and igniting his pajamas. Half his chest is scar tissue. Another true story: At XC regionals his senior year, he fell 800 meters into the race and was spiked in the hand by Rob Jensen from Northeast Missouri. He jumped up and went on to win the race in 30:30, about 40 seconds up on 2nd. The guys who were with him the first couple of miles of the race looked like Mel Gibson in The Patriot...absolutely covered with Jimmy's blood. It was just insane. -MH

From an occasional long run tagalong (for less than half the distance most days) here is a public hats off to Jimmy. I echo everything said. Jimmy is tough, but also VERY humble (sometimes too much so even) and very deserving of these accolades. He sure as shit loves Austin.

Great job Jimmy - can't wait to hoist a beer with you soon!

Jimmy may be the first guy in the history of this board to have a totally positive thread devoted to him. Sounds like an awesome dude. Congrats on the terrific race.

How old is the guy? Great friggin job Man

Jimmy is 36. Looks closer to 46. lol

TrailerPark:

I ran for CMSU the year you are speaking of when Jimmy had the blood everywhere. This was quite a site and I to would agree he is tough.

As a young man looking for a role model in the Louisville area it was quite obvious that Jimmy would be a great one to look too. Anytime I had a question about training or racing, Jimmy always took time to answer my questions or to relate something from his experience to help with mine. Our sport could truly use more people like him. I am glad the country is finally learning about this stud of a runner, and great man. Congrats Jimmy on your success, and best of luck to you in the future!

Not trying to be a smart ass at all; but why didn't Jimmy run in the US marathon championships? Sounds like he could have made the world team; if not won the thing outright. Anybody know?

Wow. Way to go Jimmy.

If the guy PR'd by 6 minutes..... He might have had no idea that he was in 2:12 shape- sometimes its hard to realize that your on the cusp-

Weho- do a interview with the guy please

Good on you, Jimmy. Great run.

Great run, Jimmy!

You are an inspiration to those of us who are past 30, don't own an altitude tent, don't live in Boulder, or train in Arizona during the winter months.

You have to appreciate this man's "stick with it'ness" attitude. His persistence has paid off with many solid performances. Congrats to him.

RWD Sept. 16, 1998

A brief chat with Jimmy Hearld

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by Peter Gambaccini

Jimmy Hearld won the USATF 10-Mile Championship at May's Volvo Midland Run in New Jersey in 47:44, topping a field that included Mark Coogan and Mike Mykytok. He was seventh in the recent Parkersburg Half-Marathon. Hearld, 30, has road bests of 28:35 for 10-K and 1:04:43 for the half-marathon. Now a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, he was a 1991 NCAA Division II 5000-meter champ and a 12-time All-American at Southeast Missouri State. He will run the Bowling Green 10-K on October 3.

Runner's World Daily: Your 47:44 at Volvo was a pretty good time.

Jimmy Hearld: Yeah, what I like about it is I got Todd Williams's course record. Todd's such a good guy, and you can joke with him a lot. So when I see him again, I can kid him.

RWD: Your win was sort of portrayed as a breakthrough for a guy who'd been on the cusp for a long time. Did you see it that way?

JH: Actually, I do see it that way. The older I get, the better I'm getting. It may be I'm getting more confident in myself. I'm not really afraid to race anyone. Winning Volvo got my name out there more.

RWD: What happened to you in Parkersburg?

JH: I didn't run well. I wanted to win, so I went out with Rod DeHaven [the winner] in 4:38 and then just died. Oh well. After trying to run the marathon and get back from that, my mileage hasn't been high enough. I've been doing shorter workouts a little bit. I'm trying to get my volume back up now. I want to do well at the Bowling Green 10-K [October 3]. I'm from Bowling Green, and a lot of people know me there. This year my goal is to win the USARC Circuit [he currently ranks third behind John Sence and DeHaven].

RWD: What marathon did you run?

JH: The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in June. I should have dropped out, but I just kept it going. I got a lot of ink and press out there, and I didn't want to drop out of my first one. I ran 2:41. I was shooting for 2:15. I ran through the half in 67 and I knew that it wasn't happening.The 67 was harder than it should have been. By 15, I was cramping.

RWD: How come you waited until 30 to run your first marathon?

JH: I always heard and read that it kind of kills your speed. I don't have a lot of speed. The marathon's more of a strength race so I was kind of patient with it. I wanted to have a longer life in running, not kill myself early.

RWD: Have you been able to survive financially just by your running?

JH: I worked for awhile and then I stopped and was trying in the past couple of years to just make it on the road circuit. But in '97 I got injured and I had to come back and get a job. I'm a recreational therapist in mental hospitals. Just trying to run for your paycheck makes it tough.

RWD: Did you have to go in the hole financially?

JH: I did last year. I was big time in debt. I had student loans and a credit card that was maxed out. Now I have a job, and whatever I make on the roads is a bonus.

RWD: How much have you made this year on the roads?

JH: Probably about $10,000.

RWD: Since you moved to Louisville in February, are you getting to be known as the fast guy around town?

JH: Yeah. The people who actually run certainly get to know me. Some people are trying to get me sponsored at the hospital I'm working at. The CEO there is big on fitness. I want to go where the money's at, pretty much. If he wants me to represent him and the fitness center there at the local races, I will.

RWD: Are you thinking ahead to 2000 and trying to make the Olympic team in the 10,000 or marathon?

JH: I'm going to zero in on the marathon. My first experience was bad, but that's okay; with the marathon there's so many variables. I coached myself for Rock 'n' Roll. Now I have Jon Sinclair coaching me, by e-mail and by phone. That's going to help me out when I train for my next marathon. I think I know what do for the shorter races like 10-K and stuff like that, but when it comes to the longer races, I hate to make that final decision.