Six Rockford athletes complete prestigious race
by Alixan Spaulding
Everyone suffers from stress on a day-to-day basis, and everyone handles it in his or her own way. One local man chooses to relieve his stress through a passion he discovered at a young age—running. That passion came through last week, when Joshua L. Miller, 26, of Rockford, competed in the Boston Marathon and not only finished in the top 100, but was sixth fastest out of the runners from Michigan.
Rockford friends and co-workers Robert Rinck and Josh Miller still smiling after finishing the Boston Marathon.
Five other Rockford runners also took on the challenge. Miller’s friend and co-worker, Robert Rinck is the one who encouraged Miller to run the race. Rinck came in with a time of 3:04:34 in 1,813th place. Also of Rockford, Brian Becker ended 3:13:34 in 3,337th; Scott Dudka came in 3:28:42 in 6,702th; Michael Bain came in 3:38:24 in 9,593th and Andrea Crumback finished 3:43:18 in 11,001th place.
Miller has been running for many years. He ran track and cross country during his enrollment at Belding High School and later at Aquinas College. “It was a great group of people,” he said, in reference to the Aquinas team.
Miller enjoys running so much that he has run in several marathons, including the La Salle Bank Chicago Marathon of 2006, where he finished in 125th place. On April 19 he joined over 25,000 men and women to run in the 118th annual Boston Marathon. Miller ran the 26.3-mile race in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 15 seconds. He placed 78th overall, 73rd among men, and 68th in his division. Among Michigan runners, he had the sixth fastest time. The top Michigan runner was Drew Polley of Rochester Hills, who finished 16th overall, with a time of 2:16:36.
Miller’s wife, Lisa, joined him at the finish line. Lisa was there for any encouragement her husband needed, and was tolerant of his training schedule. She also joined him occasionally in his training, which included running approximately 75 miles a week, biking, swimming, and other core exercises. His friends and family were also supportive. “They were all really excited, not so much when they found out I was participating, but when I finished,” said Miller. .
When asked how it felt to cross the finish line, Miller replied with a laugh. “It hurt. After running a race like that all the muscles in your back and legs are tense. You want to cry, you are so happy you finished,” he explained.
Miller also ran in the 6th Annual Kent City Ridge Run on March 27, and placed first in the 15K run. To anyone thinking of running in a marathon Miller says, “You have to start out small, then build up your mileage. You can’t overdo it.”
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