Published: October 26, 2009 09:30 pm      

1,580 and counting

No matter what, Crowley never skips running

Chuck Crowley’s feet just won’t stop. And when people question his sanity or ask him to take a day off from running, he has a simple reply.

“Not until they put me in the ground or nail me to the hospital bed,” Crowley, 51, said with a laugh.

You see, Crowley has ran at least a mile or more for 1,580 consecutive days — which is more than four years. Nothing has slowed him down —  not the January ice storm, the June heat, the August flood, Thanksgiving, Christmas ... nothing.

On Friday nights, when he takes his wife out to a restaurant, he has even threatened to leave to get his run in, if there is a long wait. That idea doesn’t always receive a favorable reply.

“Sometimes I run at 5 a.m. or midnight. Whenever I can,” he said.

Crowley has always been a runner. He started as a freshman in high school and later walked on to the Indiana University cross country team. He believes in running and said it is the easiest, and least expensive, sport there is to get involved in.

Crowley, a Floyds Knobs resident, has ran in five marathons and in May will run in his 25th Derby Mini-Marathon.

“I don’t really like to run marathons,” he said. “With a mini [13 miles] you might be a little sore, but you can run the next day. You can’t do that with a marathon. It takes you longer to recover.”

And what do his friends say about his passion for running.

“Anyone who knows me knows I was crazy before I started this streak,” he said.

Crowley’s dedication to the sport is evident by his skill level. In 2008, at age 50, he ran a mile in five minutes, seven seconds at the Clarksville Running Series.

He said he began running every day after attending a Paavo cross country camp, which focused on discipline and doing the right thing, each day, when it comes to running. The camp also stressed running every day.

He has tried to pass that knowledge and passion on to his cross country team at Providence High School. Crowley has coached the Pioneers for 10 years and was the cross country coach at Holy Family eight years prior to that.

“I try to set an example to the kids,” Crowley said. “They see me running every day, in the heat and rain. I am right there with them. I want them to know I am serious, so I run out there with them.”

There are no days off in Crowley’s running world. He said he used to take Friday’s off before beginning his streak 4 1/2 years ago. He runs an average of 30 to 50 miles a week.

“I still feel good; I haven’t had any real injuries,” he said. “I think a lot of people get injured because they don’t stretch or don’t have good shoes.

“It [running] is just something I have always done.”