Doug Bell: "I do massage my feet daily .... And I pray a lot."

Chad Austin, the author of the fine Running Minnesota interview weblog and a good friend of Down the Backstretch, offers this interesting look at a masters runner who has made a special impact on Minnesota's record books ...

Doug Bell currently resides in Greeley, Colorado, but he’s no stranger to the Minnesota record books when it comes to road racing. He currently holds nearly a dozen state age records for races ranging from 5K through 25K – some dating back 20 years.

He currently holds two state age records for the 8K, 23:41 and 24:04 at ages 36 and 37, respectively. At the 1992 City of Lakes 25K, he set the half marathon and 25K record for 41-year-olds, 1:08:43 and 1:21:24. Plus, he holds the 10-mile record for 48-year-olds at 54:50.

However, what really sets Bell (pictured) apart are his 5K times. For the ages between 39 and 51, Bell holds five of the state records. At the Hennepin Lakes Classic 5K on August 5th, the 56-year-old set his latest state record by running 16:18. That time bettered Bill Fraser’s mark of 17:12 for 56-year-olds, which stood for over 20 years. It also topped Thom Weddle’s 55-59 age-group mark of 17:08.

Since Bell was born in Minnesota I decided to track him down and ask him a few questions.

What's your connection to Minnesota and how long have to you been away?

I was born in Mankato, Minnesota in 1950. I went to Mankato High School and then Mankato State College. After college, I left the cold and snow and moved to Southern California. That was in 1974 when a left the mosquitoes for good.

What races do you come back for?

I come back to Minnesota for family. If we have a family get together near the time of the Hennepin Lake Classic, I'm a happy camper, because it's an excellent race and a very fast course.

You ran 16:18 at Hennepin Lakes Classic and a month earlier you ran 15:53 in Colorado. How do those times rank nationally for your age?

The national record for my age group (55-59) is 16:05, so the 16:18 time is probably one of the fastest ever and maybe the fastest run this year? The 15:53 I ran in Colorado was on a short course.

What are your PRs?

I once ran a 13:56 5K and a 1:05:44 Half Marathon. At age 41, I once held the Master's records for the 5K 14:36 and the 25K 1:21:44. I set both of those records in Minnesota in 1992.

Are you happy with your current racing? What else do you have planned for 2007?

I'm very happy with my health at age 56. God gave me a gift to run and I feel very blessed to be able to continue with my love for the sport since I started in 1972. My plans for the rest of 2007 are to coach at the University of Northern Colorado. If I can break away from my distance runners for a weekend, I might come back to Minnesota for a race.

Locally, Alex Ratelle dominated the 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69 year age groups. Do you find yourself setting your sites on his times?

I know of Alex Ratelle, but I don't know his times. I hope to continue to run for years and I enjoy coming to Minnesota, so maybe I can set my sites on some of his times. I'm mostly a 5K runner though and I know Alex ran all the distances from 5K to 50K.

I find fast times for you all the way back to when you were 36. Based on other people running similar times, you've seemed to slow down the least over the last 20 years. What do you attribute that to?

The fact that I haven't slowed down as much as other runners is a gift from God. I do massage my feet daily. I get full massages twice a month. I don't run very many miles (about 30 per week), but do speed work about 10 times a month. I stretch daily for about a half hour. I lift weights with my legs. I listen to my body. I try to eat like Lance Armstrong. And I pray a lot.

Did you run in college?

I went to college to play basketball. I got cut right away, so started running just to stay in shape. My junior year at Mankato State, I went out for cross-country and fell in love with the sport. I wasn't any good while at Mankato, but about 3 years after college the talent God gave me started to show up and it's been a wonderful journey ever since.

Photo by Alison Wade.