Richard Kalmanek
richard enow run
In almost every other culture, other than the United States that is, it is the elders of a group that are looked upon with great reverence and honor. And after you read the following ENOW about our very own Richard Kalmanek, you will see that he has more wisdom, dignity, and all around greatness than Justin Bieber, Brad Pitt and Jay-Z combined.
Richard was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Throughout his middle school and high school years, he ran both track and cross country. Without a doubt, he was a force to be reckoned with, running the 880 (2+ laps) in 2:01:00 and the 440 in 53 seconds flat! After high school though, his running became more of an off an on sort of deal, basically using running as just a form of exercise. When he turned 39 however, Richard decided to train for the Detroit Free Press Marathon. Having only run a couple of races before the Detroit Marathon, he was still able to put in a solid 3:45 time.
In 2005 Richard had what the doctor’s called a “"microscopic heart attack.” While playing a game of pick-up volleyball he began to feel a pain that he thought was just heartburn. That heartburn turned into an overnight stay at the hospital, and later he had a stint placed in his heart. Well that little episode caused Richard to become way more active about his health, both in eating and in exercise. He ramped up his diet with more raw fruits and vegetables and began to dedicate his running to 40+ miles a week. He continues to work on his posture and running stride, and has just recently purchased a pair of Vibram 5 Finger "shoes".
But his new direction in health has also allowed Richard to compete in the US National Senior Games. In 2007 he participated in the 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5K and 10K races. In almost all the races Richard finished in the top 5, included a 3rd place finish for the 5K and 10K races. And just to let you know, his times were 20:24:88 for his 5K and 42:46:70 for his 10K! Did I mention that he was 62 at the time!
Richard is now training for the 2011 US National Senior Games. When he is not running with the Nashville Striders, East Nasty, or just off on his own, he enjoys doing wood working with some of the Black Wall Nut trees that have been knocked down by Mother Nature on his property. He is a very kind and generous member of our East Nasty community, and a role model for all of us! So be sure to say hello to Richard and wish him luck in all his training and future races.