November Athlete of the Month: Nelson Fitzpatrick

In August 2011, Nelson RAN for 15 miles straight at 10:30 min / mile pace.

If that doesn’t tell you enough about the courage and character Nelson, let’s continue. In late August, Nelson capped out at his peak weekly mileage – 70 miles per week. He ran his fastest 5k in years, he sliced his mile PR down by more than two minutes to 8:24 min, and he ran the fastest half marathon he has run in 3 years.

Oh, and he’s 70 year’s old.

Coach Lauren Tomory says, “Nelson has been an inspiration to me since we started working together. He trains hard and always does more than what he is asked to do. Age rarely enters into a conversation with him other than to say, ‘I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT!’ The word excuse isn’t in his vocabulary.”

After his key workouts, the telephone call to coach would frequently start with, “Now don’t get mad at me again…but…I did a little extra.”

All that hard work culminated with a 4:52:11 marathon at the St. George Marathon in St. George, Utah on October 1, 2011. In four months of training, Nelson garnered an age graded sub 3:45 hour marathon performance and a top 10 age group finish in a tough field. It was also one of the slowest St. George marathons to date, as a strong headwind from mile 7 – 16 significantly slowed the field.

“I cramped up at mile 25 and it took me 19 minutes to get to the finish line. I think that if the cramping held off I would have finished 5 minutes faster,” says Nelson. “No matter what I had a great time, and I feel great post-race! I even went for a power walk today to clear the lactic acid.”

What’s next for the phenom? “I’m going to register for the Disney Marathon and Half and do that (also known as the ‘Goofy’) just for fun. After that, it’s back to training for St. George. I’m thinking of doing the Top of Utah marathon two weeks before as I’ve done that in the past.”

Of particular interest to his coach is his mention of competing in the Huntsman World Senior Games, also in Utah. “If Nelson decided to do this, he has the ability, intentness, and initiative to be successful on a national level. There is so much to look forward to, and I am honored to be along for the ride.”

We are so honored to have athletes like Nelson representing The Sport Factory, and thrilled to have coaches like Lauren on board to help them reach their goals.