46+ years of running daily = 3000 miles per year

By Caroline Rosacker

Dedicated athlete and competitive runner Dean Schultz of Clayton has headed outdoors in all kinds of weather for his daily run for the past 46-plus years. 

Schultz started his career in high school when his basketball coach made the team go out for cross-country so they could build endurance. 

"I was a skinny little kid and discovered I was faster than some of the team that had been running for years," he recalled. "It clicked with me right away and I really enjoyed it."

Competitive spirit

Schultz began running competitively when he was teaching in Clear Lake. The school's principal was a competitive runner and encouraged him. At the time running was becoming quite popular in the United States.  He began training with a fellow competitor and started to increase his daily mileage. "I started improving and ran in more races and really enjoyed the camaraderie I shared with other competitors," he commented. 

Schultz began mail correspondence with his mentor, Olympic Silver Medalist Jim Spivey, who sent him a workout every two weeks that included distance, five different speeds and duration, and how many repetitions and recovery intervals between each repetition. Schultz has over 40 years of running logs filled with this information. "I used to write it down on a piece of paper and hold it in the palm of my hand when I ran so I could refer to it," he noted. "I put it in a plastic bag so the ink didn't smear when I started to sweat. In return I would send him how my training was going and my race results."

Schultz raced competitively into his 50's. Even though it was not at the same level, he was still winning races. At that time he decided he was going to run until he couldn't. Even a fractured fibula did not sideline the dedicated athlete, who averages approximately 3000 miles a year. "I had a break that affected my balance, so the doctor put me in an air splint and I ran/hobbled for about six weeks," he said with a laugh. 

Physical and mental stamina

Schultz enjoys both the physical and mental well being that he has achieved as a runner. He discovered after all those years of challenging himself and getting the results he desired it helped him find what he needed within himself to be a better person.  "I liked who and what I became," he told The Press. "I took charge of my mind. I am very much into healthy living, which led me to earning my masters degree in fitness and wellness."

Although his training felt self-centered at times he knew it gave him the perspective to reach out to the world in a better way. "You are not pulled by the social whims of society," he shared. "You are grounded in who you are. I don't think you can be good for other people until you can take care of yourself."

The sacrifices he made again and again to achieve the goals he set, also prepared him to make sacrifices in his personal life to help others. "Similar to running a race, you know life is going to present challenges," said Schultz. "There is going to be a high point and a low point and you put one foot in front of the other." 

1996 Olympic Torch Relay

In 1996 Schultz was nominated and chosen to be part of the Olympic Torch Relay Across America. The daughter of his former Garnavillo high school basketball coach nominated him. She remembered her father often came home from practice and talked about a skinny little kid that didn't have much talent as a basketball player, but had an indomitable spirit for running. He often asked the coach to stay after so he could run laps around the gymnasium to build stamina. 

These memories remained with the daughter and came flooding back to her when she saw an opportunity to nominate that young man, who had grown into a competitive runner and highly regarded coach himself. "I knew nothing about being nominated until my mother received a phone about this one night," he explained. "She called me to tell me I had to call the person who had done the nomination but did not understand what it was all about." 

Schultz's leg of the journey led to the entry to Charles City, with a stop in the park so local people could be part of the event. Each torchbearer was offered the option of purchasing the torch he or she carried.  "I did purchase my torch. I was also coaching a very good youth league softball team – back in the day when youth league was still a competitive sport," he explained. "I walked with the team I was coaching in Guttenberg's Fourth of July Parade. Each team member took a turn carrying the torch as we walked.  I thought it would be a good memory for the kids."