Outdoors: Running

B. Doyle

With his gutsy determination and tremendous success as a marathoner in the late 1970s and early ’80s, Bobby Doyle inspired countless others to lace up their own running shoes and hit the road-racing circuit. Later, as a high school coach, he taught the next generation of runners how to reach their own potential. And when he wasn’t coaching, Doyle was giving back to his community, using his celebrity as one of the greatest runners ever to come out of Rhode Island to draw attention to numerous local charities and their fundraising events.

So when the friends and family of the late great marathoner — who died of an apparent heart attack last December at the age of 58 — sat down to plan a road race in his memory, they knew it had to be an event that celebrated all of those positive qualities. As a result, they came up with the inaugural Bobby Doyle Summer Classic 5-Mile Road Race, to be held Aug. 16 in Narragansett.

“The people in Rhode Island have just been unbelievable,” said Bobby’s older brother Jim, who is serving as co-chairman of the race committee along with Bobby’s oldest sons, Brendan and Patrick. “So many good sponsors have come forth in Bobby’s name. There are probably close to 20 people on the race committee, and they have all been just phenomenal about helping out. The list goes on and on, and we feel we have the best possible people that could put together a road race. It’s a great course and a great location. The only thing we’ve got to do now is get the runners to come out.”

Jim Doyle interprets the outpouring of support from the running community since Bobby’s untimely death as a sign of just how much everyone appreciated all that his brother did.

“You think of all these people that he affected early on, including myself, and just the impact that he had on running in Rhode Island,” Doyle said. “I know there were other people [who influenced the sport during the running boom] but Bobby really spread the word about running. He was always there to give advice, and he was willing to give that advice to anybody. In Rhode Island, people started running and they wanted to be like Bobby.”

Given Bobby Doyle’s strong commitment to community service, the proceeds from next month’s race will go toward a number of causes that have been established in his memory. Among them are the Bobby Doyle Scholarships, which will be given to a male and female Rhode Island high school runner “who both display great morals and values in the classroom and community, and are dedicated to the sport of running.”

The Bobby Doyle Youth Running Fund has also been created to support high school track-and-field programs in the state.

“When Bobby came to the high school (coaching) scene, it was the same type of thing,” Jim Doyle said. “Young people followed his routine and became successful. And he actually would go out there and run along side his high school athletes — and many times be ahead of them. If it was a hill workout, he did it with them. If it was a track workout, he was along side of them. And if they complained, he would do an extra one. So kids would look at him and say, ‘Wow, this guy’s doing this. He’s living by the words he’s telling us.’ Not only was he tough, but he lived by his motto of toughness.”

In addition, Doyle’s friends and family have started the Bobby Doyle Cardiac Awareness Endowment Fund through which they hope to increase awareness about heart disease and promote healthy living and exercise as a way to prevent it.

“It’s a fallacy to think that because you run you are protected from heart disease,” said Jim Doyle, who underwent a triple bypass himself five years ago despite being an avid runner. “You certainly are going to be a lot healthier than someone who doesn’t exercise, but it doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen to you. There are so many components of heart disease that you have to be aware of. If you’re in your 50s and you get any kind of pain in your stomach or in your chest, you should do something about it right away. If you have a family history of heart disease, you have to make sure you’re on top of this and make sure you have regular checkups.”

The 5-miler — Doyle says the race committee chose that distance because everyone agreed that Bobby would have said there are already too many 5Ks and that it would have been “way too short” for him — will begin at 5 p.m. at the Narragansett Pier School, 235 South Pier Rd., adjacent to Narragansett High School.

In addition to the usual age-group categories, the race will also be offering a “King and Queen of the Road” challenge to runners who are either currently enrolled in a Rhode Island high school or are 2008 graduates.

Runners and walkers can pre-register for the race on-line at http://www.needtorace.com for $18. The entry fee on race day is $20. More information is available at the race Web site: http://www.bobbydoylesummerclassic.org

cthorn@projo.com