Flood Brook gym teacher Mark Weikert’s passion for running dates back to middle school in Pennsylvania where he first signed up for the cross-country team. He stayed on pace with the sport through high school and earned an athletic scholarship to college. After graduation he never stopped running.
When he reached the age of 30, Weikert was joined by his buddies from college who ran with him on a 30 mile birthday jaunt. Ten years later, Weikert had moved to Vermont and was teaching at Flood Brook when he ran 40 miles by himself on his special day. Ten years later it was only natural to raise his sights to 50 miles.
“You need time to get your body in shape for this type of run,” says Weikert. “You just can’t wake up and say, I’ll do 50 miles today.”
Always a teacher, Weikert shared his planning with his students. “This was a chance to emphasize the wonder of finding something you want to do and then putting in your whole heart and soul into getting it done,” says Weikert. “For some people it may be acting or singing. For me it’s always been running.”
He showed his students his running logs that tracked his weekly mileage, which peaked at 86. He worked with school health teacher Kathyrn Cusson to demonstrate the importance of nutrition in completing his task.
Running for 50 miles, for example. burns more than 7,000 calories. Weikert explains, “You need to build up extra calories with carbohydrates before the race to create a reserve and then during a race like this you snack on energy bars, gatorade, bananas and apples to help you get through the finish.”
Even his former students, now in high school, college and beyond checked in to follow his progress. In the days leading up to the run their teacher received cheer-leading emails and good luck birthday wishes.
As his April 8th birthday approached, the whole school stepped up to support Weikert. The students created posters to hang in the halls and cheer on their teacher on race day. Kids in the younger grades created a collage of hand-made birthday cards. Cusson weighed in with an original design for a customized 50 for 50 tee-shirt for faculty to wear.
“Mark is such a phenomenal teacher,” says Flood Brook Principal Johanna Liskowsky-Doak. "He’s always the first to volunteer and is such a great role model for everyone. The kids love him.”
In typical Vermont fashion, spring snow flurries greeted Weikert on his birthday, but he started his 50 mile run at the crack of dawn precisely at 5:50 AM - 50 minutes after the hour. For the first ten miles he was joined by his son Harry, a sophomore at Burr Burton, as they ran from their home in Winhall to the school. He then started the first of four ten mile loops through the roads of Londonderry, Landgrove and Peru — ending each segment at Flood Brook.
On each loop, Weikert was joined by fellow teachers and friends who helped him maintain his target of a 10-11 minute mile pace. During the school day he also received moral support from students who ran laps around the school track to share in the experience.
The fifth grade class of 38 students set a goal of running 50 total miles for their teacher. When the final tally was complete, the young runners had logged 170 miles. “Once I started running for Mr Weikert, I just couldn’t stop,” says one participant.
His wife Tina stepped up to run with him at various points during the day. Now that’s love. “We met,” says Weikert, "as high school runners in Pennsylvania.” His younger son, Atticus, a 7th grader at Flood Brook, pulled his dad through the last 10 mile stretch.
At each pass by the school throughout the day the kids spilled out from their classroom to watch and cheer on their teacher. One 3rd grade member of his fan club boasted, "No other gym teacher can do this!”
The school day was over and most kids were gone as Weikert finished his last loop, but a crowd of supporters waited to see him through to the finish. Middle school students used chalk to draw a finish line at the school, along with some encouraging messages on the road as he took his final strides to the finish line, some 11 hours and 2 minutes after he started.
So what are the chances of running 60 for 60? “Today I really don’t know,” says Weikert. “After 40 miles for 40 I felt fine and doing 50 seemed like a no-brainer. But this run was tough. I really needed the whole school’s support to get through this. Everything hurts - stomach, quads, calves, you name it.”
After a short reflective pause he continued with a twinkle in his eye, “Well, maybe it could be a hike, jog, bike ride or some combination of all three. We’ll think of something.”
(Photo above: Fifty for Fifty: Flood Brook teacher completes another milestone run.)
Weikert stops to high five Flood Brook students during his 50 mile birthday run.
The Weikert family - Tina, Harry, Mark and Atticus celebrate at the end of the 50 for 50 birthday run.
Flood Brook students pour out of their classrooms at each pass by the school to watch and cheer on their gym teacher.
Mark Weikert's younger son, Atticus, a 7th grader at Flood Brook, pulled his dad through the last 10 mile stretch.
On the morning after the race "everything hurts," but Weikert is all smiles back in the gym wearing his 50 miles for 50 years tee shirt.