Half-marathon man

COEUR d’ALENE — On Sunday, Bill Daniel will run his 100th half-marathon.

The 80-year-old dismisses the suggestion that he will be joining a select group, achieving something only a small percentage can boast.

He even calls it, “no big deal.”

“I don’t see myself as, really, an athlete,” he said Friday. “I’m not a guy who sets any records. I’m just out there.”

Daniel always seems to be out there, step after step, mile after mile.

Never surrender, never give up.

Sure, he’s been slowed by the years, but stop? Forget it.

The Seattle man estimates he’s run about 700 races in cities around the country over the past three decades. This will be his 23rd consecutive year in Coeur d’Alene's Memorial Day weekend race, with 22 of those the half-marathon and one a 5K.

“Coeur d’Alene is a favorite,” says wife Laurie.

Sunday, he’ll be joined by 13 family members and friends, including Laurie who plans to run the 5K, then join Bill for the final miles of the half-marathon.

Everyone, courtesy of Bill and Laurie, is staying at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

“We just try to keep the tradition the same,” Bill Daniel said. “We host everything. They all come and have a good time.”

About 2,300 people are registered for Sunday morning’s Coeur d’Alene Marathon, Half-Marathon 10K and 5K. All races begin and end at McEuen Park.

The organization and beauty of the event keeps Daniel coming back.

“I think it’s a fantastic,” he said.

Daniel grew up at Hayden Lake before a fire claimed the home in 1957 and they moved away.

He ran on the track team in high school in New Jersey, mostly sprints and relays.

“I thought the whole idea of running anything more than a mile was insane, “ he said, smiling. “It was something I couldn’t comprehend.”

He enjoyed a career as an architect and a Seattle city planner.

Daniel turned to long-distance running at age 49 when he wanted to quit smoking and get in shape.

As he stayed with it, he got more serious, competing in short and long runs, including eight marathons.

Early on, it never occurred to him the half-marathon would be his specialty or that he would run so many of them.

“The whole idea of 100 wasn’t my idea at all,” he said.

In 2000, he drove his wife to North Idaho to show her where he used to live, and that year, ran his first Coeur d’Alene half-marathon.

“We’ve been back every year since,” he said.

He’s had lots of company.

Over the years, 26 family members have run the Coeur d’Alene race, including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, in-laws and siblings. One year, his sister competed in a wheelchair.

“We like being healthy, getting out there and doing stuff,” Daniel said.

He sets the tone for everyone else.

Daniel is a youthful 80. He carries a trim 170 pounds on his 5-10 frame. He exudes energy and enthusiasm and has an easy laugh.

His dedication to fitness helped him overcome cancer about 15 years ago.

Races are his training, so he runs a race or two every month and completed a virtual half-marathon two weeks ago in about 3 1/2 hours.

“That was slow,” Daniel said. “This year I’ve been really quite slow.”

He’s feels close to 100% for Sunday’s race and is hoping to be around three hours, though he said he won't be disappointed if it takes longer.

"I’m just happy to make it through the course,” he said.

Asked what he enjoys about running, Daniel’s offers a quick response:

“Other than finishing?”

He explains that it’s not about racing the clock. He not trying to win medals. He’s not out to prove anything.

Like Forrest Gump, he's just running.

“I just run for the experience of seeing other people. It’s fun being out there,” Daniel said. “You’d think after a while I’d be bored with it, but it keeps you going. I like to see people smiling on the course. I smile a lot. People come by, ‘Hey, he’s smiling.’”

For Bill Daniel, there are plenty more smiles — and miles — to come.