Page 17 - Life Legacy Project

The Power Of Running By: Adriana Ballard
Running is something that most people dislike, or even hate. In school whenever kids are tested on running the 1 Mile, or the Pacer test, they complain the entire time. I, however, love running more than any other sport or activity. Unfortunately, I have problems in my knees that keep me from running. I’m in physical therapy now, to hopefully cure that. My grandpa, Robert Fitzpatrick, inspired me to be a runner. He was an amazing runner in high school who set records that are still in place today. He is one of the people I admire and respect the most in my life.
He was born December 20th, 1942, in Vancouver B.C., and moved to California at the age of 5. His goal when he was a kid was to be the first American to break the 4 minute mile. While he never quite got there, he did get to a 4:19 mile, which is extremely impressive. He attended Hayward High School, in California and made running time records there that are still in place today. He ran 220 yards in 21.3 seconds, and won the Northern California meet for the 440 yards in 48.9 seconds. There was also an all comers meet at Stanford in 1960 where anyone could come and compete, and he ran the 440 yard dash in 47.9 seconds. He beat the college students he was competing against. It is crazy to me that someone could run so fast, and beat the college team at such a young age. The fastest mile time in the world ever is 3:43, so it is so incomprehensible that he was not even that far away from this time.
While he set records at his High School and around California, he became very well known. One day the football coach and track coach set up a challenge between Robert and a teenager named John Ralls. John Ralls had played varsity baseball, basketball, and in football was a running back for three years in a row. John was known around the school as the fastest runner in the school. John actually became a running back for UDUB after high school. The coaches made a bet to see who would win if Robert and John ran against each other on the track. The whole school came out to watch them run against each other, and people were getting really into it. Most people were betting on John, including the football coach, but the track coach knew better. John was wearing tennis shoes and Robert was wearing the track shoes with spikes on the bottom. The football coach called him out and told him that he had to wear tennis shoes so that it would be fair. Little did he know, my grandpa had been practicing running barefoot on the asphalt and grass every day for a long time, until he could run 5 miles barefoot. The tracks that they would run on back then were made of cinders so the football coach told him he was crazy because his feet would be all torn up. Robert insisted that he would be fine, and the football coach eventually gave in. As soon as the gun was fired, my grandpa blew John away. Not only was he so much faster than John, he was running on cinders which would tear up most feet.
My grandpa was asked to participate on a relay team for the Junior Olympics when he was 16. This was a huge honor. His track coach got other fast runners from the next towns, Oakland and Richmond be on a relay team with him. They were very nervous to compete. However they went to do their best. At the Junior Olympics his team ran the mile relay. Not only did they come in first, but they set a new National Record that day.
Many colleges were interested in having him run for their teams. But, my grandpa had a stroke when he was born. The effects of that made parts of school really hard for him. He is one of the smartest people I've ever met, but reading and writing didn't come easily to him. He considered trying out for the Marines. The Marines had a team where he could possibly compete in the Olympics. His father talked him out of doing this because he wanted him to try Junior College and hoped he could do well there.
My grandpa would have loved to run in the Olympics or to have gone to college to become a forest ranger. Junior College didn't work out for my him though, so instead, he ended up getting married, having children, and working in the grocery business. He worked really hard for many years and ran from time to time as a hobby.
One of the reasons I admire my grandpa, is that he lives life with no regrets. He is thankful for those times and experiences running and loves to tell stories about them. He's taught me about hard work and dreams, and happiness. My grandpa is one of the happiest, most cheerful people. He isn't really unhappy that he didn't get to keep running or get to go to college. He tells me all he needs is us, his family. Although he jokes “And maybe to win the lottery...” with a wink. My grandpa, 74, now enjoys a relaxing retired life with my grandma. He can't run anymore (after two knee replacements) but he likes to hike and bicycle. He wouldn't trade his life now, or any one of us, for another second in the limelight. He inspires me to work hard at physical therapy in order to run again, especially when I think of his amazing running. He also helps me see that even if I can't ever run again, I’ll be fine, knowing I’ll be happy doing other things, especially being with family.
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