Bill Sumner is one of the fastest 70 plus runners in the country

Bill Sumner has been running the Carlsbad 5000 for years. This year he moved into a new age-group (70-74) and he placed first running 21:11. This is the second fastest time (70+) over the last 12-months of all the races My Best Runs is tracking. Only Dave Glass (70) who ran 20:54 at the Syracuse Festival of Races is faster... "Bill and I have been bumping into each other in Carlsbad over the last 25 years," says Bob Anderson. "I have beaten him a few times but not lately. Two things has not changed over all these years. First his love for running is as strong as ever. And secondly he is always happy with a warm smile." Bill in his prime ran a 30-minute 10,000 meters, and was a 4:16 masters miler in his 40s. Sumner helped start Cal Coast running club in the 1970s, when he organized a campaign to collect "gently used" running shoes for needy high school teams. The club is still going strong. "I'm trying to save everybody," Bill says. "I read that if you try to please 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time, you'll fail. But I'm still trying."

posted Wednesday March 28th
by Bob Anderson