Beyond Boston: John Efthimiou

John's journey from a person with severe obesity to BQ is a great reminder that by consistent work over time, we can accomplish big goals.  John chipped away at fitness for 4 years, and while he lost weight he gained more and more passion for running.  He has run over 350 races in the past 7 years - yes, that's an average of 50 per year!  His two children have run over 150 races each!  He started running as a teen to increase his fitness for motocross - in the 1980's he won the Greece national title and ranked as high as 10th in the world in motocross.  Prepare to be inspired!

Introduce yourself (who you are, where you're from, what you do, etc.)

The Boston 2020 Marathon was the furthest goal imaginable, as my starting point was almost zero fitness and morbidly obese at 270 pounds when I started my current passion of running in December 2012.  I couldn’t run 100m without stopping with dagger-like pain in my calves, and cramps and joint pains persisted. By July 2013 I entered, embarrassingly my first NYRR race after 25 years, finishing not so bad in 1:13 for the 10k. I had a weight problem, which yo-yo’ed and that I couldn’t shake off, and it took 4 years of persistence and increased volumes and race frequency to make a significant dent on my weight and fitness. At the time I was 49 1/2 years old and facing two lose-lose scenarios, weight and age, as the 50’s are a decade of rapid decline and high mortality rates, I took the high road.

I’ve run over 350 races over the the last 7 years, and between 2013 and 2020, I ran 35 marathons, 50 half marathons, with frequent PRs in all distances, superseding my 1987 results (NYRR race overview can be seen here). However, for a couple of years I could barely get under 6 hours in the marathon and I was virtually last in my age group at every race.  A gradually increased volume, fewer injuries, persistence and tenacity helped me improve dramatically, culminating in my Boston qualifying time of 3:33:05 in Duluth’s Grandma’s Marathon (results here) last June 2019 at 190 pounds, an 80 pound decrease and lots of miles as you can see on Strava and on Athlinks race results.

Athletics has been a big part of my life. I was born and raised in NYC, and as a child lived a half year in San Diego and often visited Greece where I became more sports oriented. I moved to Greece in the 80’s and won the Greek motocross championship, and ranked as high as 10th in the world at a world motocross championship event. To be successful in motocross requires extraordinary cardiovascular fitness, hence I ran very often, usually in the 10k range. I entered my first running race in 1984, a NYRR Midnight Run with my family and grandfather, then raced again after retiring from motocross in 1987 when I resumed my college studies in NYC. I entered the corporate world after receiving a BA from Columbia in the 90’s and gradually lost fitness and gained a substantial amount of weight. I maintained a weekend warrior fitness status, occasionally riding my motocross bike and a jog or two, here and there, but weight crept up and up. In 2012 I stepped on a scale, and realized I was 100 pounds heavier than when I was in my early 20’s and was horrified when my doctor in 2012 stated I was morbidly obese at 270 pounds.

I met Harbert Okuti of the Westchester TC at one of my first races back in 2013.  He brought me into the Westchester TC, and I learned a lot about high mileage, the need for recovery, and other common running practices through him and his coach Mike Barnow.  Harbert is from Uganda, has a PR of 2:13:01 (at Grandma's Marathon), and he is a good friend of my family for over 7 years now.

I worked for over 20 years in the banking industry and for the last 13 years worked for a French Bank BNP Paribas, with many peers who love running. I am married to Ina with 2 children, Michelle, a 21 year old girl and Peter, a 13 year old boy, and we all go and race together as a family.  The kids have over 150 races each.

How did you handle the initial postponement and eventual cancellation, mentally and physically?
I opted into the September 14 option, and when that became cancelled, acquiesced for the virtual, more as a very long training run, but was utterly devastated mentally for a day or two. I regrouped, and just keep plugging away at higher goals and hope to qualify with an even better time at the next opportunity.

Do you plan to run Boston 2020 virtually? Why or why not?
I initially thought this was a poor option, but I will run it and treat the Boston virtual event as a very long training run, with no time goals other than a good training pace.

Do you plan to run Boston 2021? Why or why not?

I plan to race it, however, I think the odds are against me, as I need to dramatically improve my times to be more than the 2’ off the cutoff time. I think the cutoff times will be further reduced for the allowable quota, given the expectation is that the Boston post-COVID running field will be further limited in size.

How did you get started in running? Tell us a little about your early running career through present.

I started running as a teen to be in better shape for motocross, now I run because I love the euphoria, the inclusive nature of the community of runners, the exhilaration associated with running races, and the health benefits.

Why did you decide to run your first marathon?

I decided to run it the same year I began racing in 2013, but because of persistent injuries, dagger-like jolts of pain in the calves, I opted to wait till the 2014 NYC marathon.

When did you set the goal of qualifying for Boston and what inspired you to try?

I rapidly began to improve as a combination of increased mileage and improved diet management using a caloric intake app, and times started improving and from 6 hours, the 3:35 goal got closer and closer, still seemed impossible at over 4 hours, but then I had 6 consecutive sub-4 hour marathons in the time span of a few months, and I knew it was possible, but unlikely at Duluth, Grandma’s.

In the hotel room shortly after the race, with my roommate who finished 3rd overall, Harbert Okuti, after realizing I BQ’d in 3:33:05 at Grandma’s I cried for what seemed eternity. You see, my grandmother supported me in all my motocross and academic pursuits and was a key inspiration for much of the extra effort I put into the last half of Grandma’s that arguably enabled me to BQ and a 13 minute PR over my previous marathon in Paris 2 months earlier.

What was your journey to BQ like?
BQ journey has been the odyssey of a lifetime, highly recommended, and I feel like I’m 20 and have a lifetime ahead of me to BQ again.

Why did you decide to run Boston 2020?

I decided to run Boston 2020 because it is the epitome of marathon racing short of the Authentic Marathon in Athens Greece, where I hope to race one day. Running Boston means you’ve made it in the marathon world and it is a significant Marathon Majors event.

How did it feel to be accepted into Boston 2020?

Euphoria, it felt like I graduated with a PhD, and embraced by the running community for success.

What did you learn from this journey - from BQ to postponement to cancellation?

Life’s setbacks should never deter us from pursuing goals, even if deferred, persistence pays off.