On an uncharacteristically hot April day in Massachusetts, with temperatures above 80 degrees, Hensley said he knew he needed to run a smart race. The former Florida distance runner and Gainesville resident saved his best for the second half of the historic marathon. Hensley finished 40th overall and was 37th in the male division with a time of 2:34:42 on Monday.

“Running through Boston itself, you feel like you are at the World Series, because of the history of the event and all the fans that lined the streets,” Hensley said. “It was an unbelievable feeling.”

Hensley said he took a slower pace in the first nine to 10 miles of the 26.2-mile race. He based his strategy on his previous experience at the Chicago Marathon in 2007, when on a hot day he started quicker early and didn’t finish as well.

“With the heat, you can get yourself worked up a little too much and not have anything left,” Hensley said. “I think it worked out pretty well for me.”

Also, Hensley said he stayed away from putting on sunscreen because it closes pores and keeps the body from sweating as effectively.

“I felt like I could live with the sunburn at the end of the day if it gave me some kind of edge,” Hensley said.

The strategy worked. When Hensley reached Heartbreak Hill (at the 20-mile mark), a race official told him he was in the top 100.

“That was my goal and anything on top of that was gravy,” Hensley said. “But over the next four miles I was able to pass a lot of people.”

One runner who Hensley could not pass was his younger brother, Matt, who finished 20th overall at 2:29:17. Matt Hensley is from Port St. Lucie, though he is currently a doctoral student at UF.

Mike Hensley also is in graduate school at Florida and works as a physical therapist at the Gainesville Health Care Center across from Shands. He treats 30 to 40 residents.

“They always ask me how my training is going,” Hensley said. “You want to finish because you don’t want to let any of them down. They are a great support system.”

Hensley, 27, ran the 5,000 and 10,000 meters for the UF men’s cross country team. He left Gainesville for two years before returning this past year for graduate school. Along with Boston and Chicago, Hensley also has ran the New York City Marathon and Disney Marathon.

A member of the Florida Track Club, Hensley said he enjoys training in Gainesville and its community of runners.

“The weather is spectacular, especially during the winter,” Hensley said. “In the summer it can get a little hot. The people I can train with, it’s easy to find someone at 7 a.m. that I can go out and run 8 to 10 miles with.”

Hensley comes from a strong bloodline of runners. Besides his younger brother, Henley’s parents were former distance runners at Oregon during the Steve Prefontaine era (early 1970s). His family settled in Port St. Lucie, where Hensley was a distance running standout at Lincoln Park Academy before accepting a scholarship to UF.

After returning to Gainesville for work and school this week, Hensley said he and his wife are taking a well-deserved week-long vacation to Costa Rica.

“One of my other main goals coming out of Boston was not to get hurt,” Hensley said. “The last thing I needed was to end up in the hospital or something before my vacation.”

CLIFF  RIORDAN
Wilson Health Center – Rm 452
301 Russell Ave
Gaithersburg, MD   20877

Apr 26, 1914
301-216-4744

Run-Walk-*Roll
Saturday, April 14, 2012
7:30am Registration/Packet Pick-up. 9:00am Start UF Commuter Lot at Gale Lemerand Drive University of Florida-Gainesville, Florida

Benefiting

The Navy SEAL Foundation

The Navy SEAL Foundation provides support to NSW families with active duty, wounded, or fallen SEAL, SWCC, or other operator.

Petco Park “Inaugural 1/2 Marathon”
FTC-West Results- 2 runners
Female Div 50-54
Arceilia Cammall 5th
Male Div 55-59
Greg Wilson 1stt (moving to Maui this summer, will be dearly missed)
(opps! No photos)

Friday- Marine Corps Recruit Depot 5k. 3/16/12
FTC-West Results: We had 4 runners with three 1st and  one 2nd.
Training for the National USATF 8 and 10 K championships May-June.
Male Div 65-69
Ron Wells 1st
Jim Callaway 2nd
Male Div 70-75
Richard Gauntner 1st
Male Div 75-79
Richard Williams 1stt

Ron W.         Jim C.       Richard W.    Richard G.

Saturday- 32nd Annual St. Patty’s Day 10k. 3/17/12 (1,563 finishers)
Conditions: Wind and rain, all the way ..and got much worse in beer garden.
Temps in mid 50’s…chill factor?

FTC-West Results: We had 11 runners with 8 placing in top 3 of Div).
Female  Div 30-34
Jennifer Jordan 21st of 220
Male Div. 35-39
Cristian Cortes 2nd  and 12th overall
Female Div 35-39
Colleen Lynn 2st
Male Div 45-49
Chuck Bailey 5th
Male Div 50-54
Jim McNevin 2nd
Charlie Prokop 3rd
Artie Ojeda 4th
Male Div 55-59
Gerard Buckmelter 3rd
Female Div 50-54
Arceilia Cammall 1st
Male Div 65-69
Ron Enos 1st
Hal Goforth 2nd
“Sunny” Southern California in March

Florida Track Club-West USATF club #44-0104.The club recently raced in:
SDTC/Sue Krenn 15k. 3/3/12
FTC-West Results:
Male Div. 35-39
Cristian Cortes 2nd, Jason Passchier 3rd
Female Div 35-39
Colleen Lynn 2nd
Male Div 45-49
Chuck Bailey 3rd
Male Div 50-54
Jim McNevin 2nd, Charlie Prokop 3rd
Female Div 50-54
Arcelia Cammall 2nd
Male Div 65-69
Ron Enos 1st, Dick Barber 3rd,  Hal Goforth 4th (I know this doesn’t count I coach 1st& 3rd)

Same Day the Chelsea King 5k. 3/3/12
FTC-West Results:
Male Div 65-69
Jim Calloway 1st
Male Div 70-75
Richard Gauntner 1st
Male Div 75-79
Richard Williams 1st

Hal Goforth reports that the Florida Track Club’s West Coast contingent is racing very well and having much fun. The group now includes five women in the 30-50 year old classes.  The FTC members racing with the California group are Hal Goforth Jr. (Gator class 1966), Ron Enos, Ron Wells, Jim McNevin, Jim Calloway, Richard Williams, Richard Guentner, Gerard Buckmelter, Artie Ojeda, Jason Passchier, Greg Wilson, Kathy Loper, Arcelia Cammal, Carrie Adamson, Suzanne Kocherga, Natatlie Fraschetti (Gator class 2003).

Ron Wells won the 65-69 year division at the National USATF XC Championships December 2011 in Seattle, Ron Enos was 6th in that same race. Richard Guentner won the 70-75 year old division in the 2010 USATF National XC Championships in Charlotte, NC.  Richard Williams and Richard Guentner were two of the scoring members of the 1st place 70-75 yr old team at this USATF XC Championship. Jim Callaway turns 70 in a few months and is faster than the two Richards. The 70-75 yr old team should do well in this race December 2012. All of the USATF racers will soon or have already changed their USATF affiliation to membership in the Florida Association

Here are the results from February 4. In the Super Run 5k/10k races 8 FTC West men had, five 1st, two 2nd and one 3rd place finishes in their age divisions.  Four of the FTC West men finished in the top 12 overall in 10k race. Two of the FTC members finished in the top 20 of the 5k race.  There were approximately 1000 runners participating in this race.

Ride to the Gate