Blairsville native set to compete in Boston race

BLAIRSVILLE--Blairsville native David Dettore has proven that anything is possible through dedication and hard work.

The 53-year old, who has relocated to Dubois, will fulfill one of his lifelong dreams Monday morning when he competes in the 111th annual Boston Marathon.

"Honestly, I have to pinch myself because I still can't believe I'm going to be running in the Boston Marathon," Dettore said. "I've always paid attention to it every year and tried to watch it on television even though they don't cover it as well as they used to."

Dettore will take to the streets of Boston with 23,500 different competitors from around the world at 10 a.m. The 26.2 mile extravaganza will be covered nationally by the Versus network.

The sheer mass of people involved in the Boston Marathon is one aspect that intrigues Dettore, who has previously participated in marathons with only 500-700 runners. Marathon officials have split the field into two separate heats based on their qualifying times to accommodate the 23,500 runners.

Dettore, who is the second cousin of Blairsville head football coach Ab, will appear near the front of the second heat with a special scoring chip attached to him that doesn't start operating until he reaches the starting line.

"There will be a bunch of people around me so it'll probably take awhile to find some elbow room and settle into my pace," Dettore said. "I'm amazed they're going to be able to organize that many people, but once it's over it'll be neat to say that I was part of the event."

Although the excited Blairsville native can't wait to run in the event, he isn't merely satisfied with simply appearing at the Boston Marathon.

"I'm really going in with the goal to beat my best time and not just to run in the marathon," Dettore said. "You never know if you're going to feel good until you start to run, but I feel like I prepared because I trained harder than I ever have for any marathon."

To qualify for the Boston Marathon, Dettore, who fits into 50 to 54 age bracket, had to run a sanctioned marathon in 3 hours and 35 minutes or less.

In September of 2005, Dettore made his first attempt to qualify for the big dance in Boston at the Erie Marathon at Presque Isle. But the Blairsville native came up four minutes short as he clocked in at 3 hours and 39 minutes.

In the fall of 2006, Dettore wouldn't be denied as he returned to run with an estimated 700 people at Presque Isle and intentions to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The second time proved to be a charm as Dettore was successful and punched his ticket to Boston. His time of 3:32.50 was good enough for 84th overall and seventh in his age bracket.

Dettore, who runs on average of five times per week, ran the 800-meter run and two mile relay during his high school years at Blairsville.

"I still ran quite a bit in the 1970s and in the 80s, but when my kids came along I didn't have any time and kind of got away from it," Dettore said.

But Dettore knew that he always wanted to compete in the Boston Marathon and when most people are preparing for retirement at age 50, the Blairsville native was planning a serious comeback into competitive running.

Three years later, Dettore achieved one of his ultimate goals of running in the marathon. But he didn't achieve this goal by sitting on the couch and watching Steve Prefontaine sprint from one side of the television screen to the other.

"I have a pretty solid base of 25 miles per week when I'm not getting ready for a marathon," Dettore said.

On top of the 25 mile per week base, Dettore begins preparing for a marathon 16 weeks before it takes place. Each week Dettore adds more miles to his routine until he peaks between weeks 10 to 13 where he runs more than 50 miles per week. After peaking out at 56 miles in week 13, he backs off in the final three weeks and gradually works himself back down to an average of 30 miles per week.

"I make sure I add a couple long runs into my routine to get my body used to running so it won' t be a total shock when I hit the 20-23 mile mark," Dettore said.

Dettore said he doesn't stick to a strict diet until the night before and the day of the race. But the Blairsville native makes sure to load up on plenty of Gatorade, Powerade, and water throughout his 26.2 mile journey.

The rural county-side area around Treasure Lake, near Dubois, makes a perfect running atmosphere for Dettore's training regimen. The pristine rustic ambiance calms the nerves and draws Dettore's mind away from the world while he runs.

Pennsylvania's annual arctic winter weather and the lack of daylight made it difficult for Dettore to train. The steep hills in the streets of Boston also serves as an "x" factor Dettore won't know the answer to until the marathon is underway. But the Blairsville native was able to stay the course, follow his regular schedule and feels like he's right where he wants to be heading into the Boston Marathon.

Even though Dettore will be 500 miles away from his Dubois house, the Indiana County native will still feel at home in Boston. Eight members of Dettore's immediate family, including his mother, who still lives in Blairsville, will watch him fulfill his lifelong dream of running on the world's biggest stage in Boston.

"I don't think I could ask for much more than my family coming with me," Dettore said. "It makes training and struggling out there in the cold and the early morning's all worthwhile."

Dettore hopes that his family will be able to meet him at the finish line, but the massive number of people might prevent that from happening.

"My wife and two daughters go to every one of my races, even the local ones and that helps," Dettore said. "They really support me all the way and I hope to see them at the finish line."

Still, Dettore is hoping that he can take in the sights and sounds of the race he's dreamed of competing in throughout his life.

"I'm usually not nervous standing on the starting line but this is a totally different experience," Dettore said. "There aren't too many sporting events that you can get into with the professionals and say you were in the same race."

Nonetheless, Dettore plans to pick up some elbow room and settle into a nice pace, feeding off the energy of the masses around him. Although he qualified with a time of 3:32, he will try and shave a couple minutes off the clock and finish less than 3:30.