Staten Island On the Run: Remembering legendary local running pioneer Art Hall

“Let’s go for a run and talk!”

That was the trademark phrase said by Art Hall, Staten Island’s greatest road racer and African-American pioneer when he finished a race.

“Art was a super tough competitor,” said Lou Vazquez, one of New York City’s top runners of Hall, who passed away in 2011. “When he showed up at the race you always knew he would take it out hard and I always felt that if I could say on his shoulder I could out kick him, but the hardest part was staying on his shoulder!”

“But win or lose he would always ask you to warm down with him.”

“Art was a GREAT example of what can be done on one’s own,” said Bill Welsh. “There was none better!”

Hall’s road racing dominance (which included finishing in the top 5 in the early NYC Marathons, winning the prestigious Penn Relays Marathon, and sporting personal best times of 34 minutes, 53 seconds for 7-miles and 2:22:07 at the 1978 Boston Marathon!) also broke the stereotypes of what people thought about African-American distance running.

Locally Hall (who once led the 1984 Pepper Martin field through a 4:19 first mile!) would also win the 1984 Triple Crown and in 2013 be inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.

“As a Black teenage distance runner in the early 70s I was often informed by both family and friends that Blacks can’t run distance,” said former Islander Bill Meredith. “It was actually described to me as a science based fact and not a sociological issue.”

“But, In the summer of 1972 a friend invited me to a 3 and 3/4 mile run in Clove Lakes,” said Meredith. “The winner of that race was none other than the incredibly nappy dresser from the Forest Ave Bus that I saw every day – Art Hall!”

“He greeted me and immediately became a role model,” said Meredith, a sub 28 minute 5-mile performer who would go on to become the Vice President of Hall’s “North Shore Track Club. “You could time after races with him and he’d offer encouraging advice regardless where you finished and then talk about family, life and goals as well.”

“What an inspiration for a young man of color.”

“I met Art in Central Park back in early nineties,” said longtime runner Aborn Etchison. “He got me into the best shape of my life and thanks to him I was a top runner back then.”

Etchison still runs today, promoting the lifestyle with the Brooklyn-based “Black Men Run” group. “Our mission is healthy brotherhood.”

But it was also Hall’s inclusiveness for everyone that earned many accolades both locally and nationally.

“Art was a very tough competitor who beat me in the very hot 1974 New York Marathon,” said the legendary Bill Rodgers, who’d later go on to win the event four times! “I was still trying to master the race and stopped at 20 miles and Art stopped to help me and I hobbled to the finish with his help.”

“Art then told me to not give up on the Marathon!”

It was also in Central Park that another running pioneer took notice of Hall.

“I admired Art a lot,” said Kathrine Switzer, who led the movement for equality for Women in Sport. “Frankly I was always so proud of him as he was a real pioneer, a role model in running in the 60s and 70s.”

“Fred Lebow and I talked a lot about how we hoped Art’s running would serve as an inspiration for many other African Americans to run in road races,” said Switzer. “Most people just assumed that African Americans were the sprinters and that slow white people were the distance runners… Art went long…and he also went fast!”

During the 1990′s Hall served as a board members of the New York Road Runners and still encouraged anyone who sought him out.

“I was lucky to work one-on-one with Art in the early 90′s,” said Mike Crowe, who would go on to win the 1994 Memorial Day Run and compete with the top NYC runners during that decade. “He also told me to join him after the race to jog down towards the other finishers and cheer them on because he said they need the help and encouragement the most…that was Art Hall and I’ll never forget that.”

“We often did long runs through Harlem, Art’s old neighborhood, then down the West Side Parkway, often in the summer heat with Arty wearing nylon track suit pants, his idea of heat training,” said Barry Doyle who, with his brother Sean, rose to local and citywide prominence in racing and nowadays lives in Ireland. “With my brother Sean I’m happy to say that Art Hall was my coach, but also my friend.”

For Bob Baroz, Hall meant even more.

“I was 15 and lived in Mariners Harbor when I joined Art, said Baroz. “It was during my senior year that Art made one of the biggest differences in my life…He talked with me about college and competing in college but at the time nobody in my family had ever graduated from college, so Art literally wrote a letter to Ed Winrow, a fellow NYC road racer and Olympic Trials marathon runner who was the coach at Mansfield State College.”

Baroz, who would eventually transfer to compete at the College of Staten Island, went on to get a bachelors and masters degree and in 2011, was named a “Teaching Ambassador Fellow” by the Obama administration.

“I became the first in my family to ever graduate college, thanks to Art.”

In today’s climate in the highly-passionate country, one truly misses those Post-race runs with Hall.

“Art is remembered for his running skills, but needs even more to be remembered for the people he helped,” said Meredith. “In those runs it was not only about the running but he would also ask about your family and if there were any issues he would ask how he could help, no matter who you were.”

“Art was truly a gentleman in an un-gentle world.”

Staten Island Running Association

It’s last call to join the Firecracker 5K virtual run! People can register until 9:30PM on July 3. Participants receive a runners face-mask and commemorative participation number. The net proceeds go to the Arielle Newman Scholarship Recipients, and the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island’s Bread of Life Food Drive.

Go to Firecracker5KSI.eventbrite.com

Staten Island AC

Members of the Staten Island Athletic Club, the Richmond Rockets, and the Correcaminos SI are collecting used running shoes to help feed families who most affected.

Go to www.statenislandac.org.

Richmond Rockets

The Rockets presented their annual Scholarship Awards to two deserving athlete/scholars.

Julia Durkin graduated from Notre Dame Academy and will be attending Wagner College and Lia Smerina graduated from Tottenville HS and will be attending Nova Southeastern University.

SITRAC

SITRAC Announces the Winners of the LEGENDS AWARD

The 4th Annual Bill Welsh Legends Award to the top SI HS Boys T&F athlete is Chris Adekoya of Susan Wagner HS. The other two nominees were Anthony Zopich (Msgr. Farrell HS) and Michael Politi (St. Peters HS).

The 4th Annual Pete Whitehouse Legends Award to the top SI HS Girls T&F athlete is Sierra Dineen of Notre Dame Academy. The other two nominees were Kortney Brown (Curtis HS) and Kathryn Altieri (Susan Wagner HS).

Sierra and Chris will be honored along with the other nominees in the near future.

Monthly Prize Trivia –

Please submit your answer to my email below. All correct answers will then be put into a lot where three winners will be drawn randomly. One winner receives a pair of ASICS running shoes, while another winner qualifies for a session at CRYO Staten Island (CRYOSI.com), and the third winner selected will be receiving a $20 gift card to the Runners High Running Store (http://www.runnershighnj.com/ )

Congrats to winners John Donnelly (Free Cryo Session), Zeke Quin (Asics Shoes) and Kristin Golat ($20 Runners High Card) who correctly identified a past winner of the Al Ronaldson Run

This month’s question

Name 1 winner – male or female- of the “Pepper Martin Run”

Good Luck and Keep Running!

Questions, comments, upcoming news? Email Jeff at rbenja726@aol.com