Running News Daily

Track and Field Historian Mike Fanelli Dies of Cancer at 67

Mike Fanelli, the owner of one of the largest track and field memorabilia collections in the United States, died on Saturday after a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

For over 50 years, Fanelli collected running-related memorabilia, which he stored in the “Track and Field Garage” at his home in Sonoma County, California. The expansive collection features over 4,000 artifacts, including the meet program from the first indoor track meet held in the United States in 1868, as well as every issue of Track and Field News and Runner’s World.

Fanelli made his mark on the sport of track and field throughout his life. He represented athletes as an agent, coached the Impala Racing Team, and served as the USATF National Cross-Country chairman in the 1990s. He’s also the namesake for the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, held at his alma mater, San Francisco State University, each spring.

But Fanelli’s impact, perhaps, is best exemplified by the connections and friends he made along the way. Until just days ago, Fanelli would routinely post track and field trivia facts to an audience of over 4,000 Facebook friends. If you look closely, you’ll find legends of the sport reminiscing about old races or giving their two cents in the comments. 

Fanelli’s wife, Renay Weissberger Fanelli, released a statement on Monday announcing his passing: “It is with unbearable sadness that I share with you that Michael has passed away from brain cancer, at home, surrounded by loved ones. While he was a public figure in many ways, he was also a very private person. Because of that, he chose not to share his diagnosis broadly, preferring to live his life as if he was living, not dying.”

Fanelli lived his life fully up until his last moments. Last month, he completed his goal of running 115,000 miles in his life, dutifully logging each run in composition notebooks. 

In 2021, Fanelli told Runner’s World why he feels cataloging running history, with the help of his track-nerd friends, is so important. Running history, he noted, is not particularly well recorded.

“I refer to it as ‘cultural storytelling,’” he said. “When a particular culture wants to pass down their history over the years, and it’s not something that can be transcribed otherwise, this is our opportunity to do that.”

Mike Fanelli Remembering Mark Conover

As you have most likely heard, our dear friend Mark Conover made his way to heaven last night (April 6, 2022). 

Like you, I knew that it was coming...but frankly, that doesn't make it any easier to reckon with. I've been physically ill since hearing the news early this morning.

It has taken me all day long to muster up the oooommmppph to write a little something about him...and I hope that doing so provides a cathartic effect....for all of us.

We first knew each others as competitors at the same distances in the same Far Western Conference in the early eighties. Scratch that...we ran in the same track races in different colored uniforms, but on my very best day I couldn't hold a candle to Mark.

Post-collegiately, I was working as the running promotions guy at Reebok and Mark was one of our sponsored athletes...as you will note from his red, white, and blue striped uni from that career highlight.

In 1988, as a young journalist in the sport, I was commissioned to cover the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials. I am pretty sure that I got the job because no one else wanted to go from California to Hoboken, New Jersey where they were being held.

There, I got to ride the press truck and at times, our vehicle was bogged down in the tiny rutted streets so much so that we nearly impeded the runners...we could practically reach out and touch them.

That, and I was absolutely flabbergasted to see Mark running right up front alongside the heavyweight, Ed Eyestone.

It took everything I could rally to show impartiality, while inside I was clearly wildly rooting for my buddy in the sweat socks.

Once in Seoul, South Korea for those 1988 Games,  I made a point of being in the stadium early morning to catch the marathon start, and had devised a plan to take subways to different spots on the course to cheer my head off for Mark, my brother Gary, and Pete Pfitzinger. It was SO cool to watch a Lumberjack pal racing against the best in the world in the ultimate marathon of all...the Olympic Games.

Back stateside, Mark and I shared more deeply personal trials and tribulations. In particular, both of our Dads passed within close proximity to one another, and we kinda' talked each other through some of that.

But while all of the above speaks to our history together, I wanted to share with you how we very first became actual pals.

It was 1981, and us San Francisco State Gator tracksters made the bus trip up to Humboldt State to compete in their famed 'Bowl' for a dual meet competition.

Of course, Mark and I were entered in the same event, the 5,000 meters...and if I recall, he already had THE leading time in NCAA Dll at that point in the season.

I purposely lined up right next to him, the lone purple clad runner in a sea of green.

When the starter called us to our marks and raised his pistol, I nudged Mark and pointed to his shoes and said, 'your spikes, they're untied" (they weren't).

The gun fires a thousandth of a second later and I am off in a hurry and into an immediate lead while Mark is still inspecting his footwear.

A lead that lasted PERHAPS 180 yards before King Conover came shuffling on by, and left both me and the rest of the field in his wake.

Forty years later, EVERY time we saw one another, that 'incident' crept into the conversation...and always always always, still cracked us both up.

Mark Conover was a unique, cool, witty, down-to-earth cat on SO many levels.

I am honored to have known him and called him my friend.

Rest in forever peace my man.

Global Run Challenge Profile: Mike Fanelli (62) has been running nearly every day since he was 14

RUN THE WORLD: Mike Fanelli caught the running bug after watching the 1968 Olympic Games on TV.  "I began competing as a high school cross country runner at age 14. I have run/trained practically every single day since and have a lifetime tally of 109,339 miles," Mike says. 

Over his nearly five decade career there have been many highlights.  A 2:25 marathon PR, a 16:40 100 miler (on the track) and one mile in 4:57 at age 50.  He is originally from Philadelphia and currently lives in the Sonoma Country Wine Country. 

The 62-year-old is a real estate broker representing luxury residential and vineyard properties.  As far as his running these days?  "These days my running tallies 35 to 40 miles a week...at least one of which is done on the track." he says.  He plans on logging in an average of 37 miles per week for the challenge.   

"I found out about the Run The World Global Run Challenge from my pal and 'streak mate' Geoff Smith and figured it'd be fun to be part of a mileage counting team effort," Mike says.

If you follow Mike on FB you know he has an amazing collection of running related material.  "My running archives began with one meet program which I got on March 1st, 1969 at the AAU Indoor National Track & Field Championships...as a 12 year old track nerd at that time, I chased down every single name athlete at that meet and got them to autograph my program...including George Young who only minutes before had set a new world indoors record that night for 3 miles," says Mike proudly. 

The library is now over 4000 pieces in all.  "I hope to donate my collection to an entity that will use it to educate people on the history of running and track & field."