The Amazing Dave Aubuchon

You’re 86 years old and you recently had knee replacement surgery, so what do you do for exercise? If you’re Dave Aubuchon, you plan to run in the Senior Games in Albuquerque this summer. Dave is a long time member of the Evanston Running Club (ERC) and a hero to all of us as he continues to run like the Energizer Bunny, competing in races, and joining our weekly Wednesday evening interval training on the Evanston High School 400 meter track. I recently took this opportunity to interview Dave before the Games and talk about his running, which involved asking a few questions about his running career.

Dave running  on ERC’s Wednesday track workouts

When you start running?

 Dave said he started running when he was 40 years old. His doctor told him he had high blood pressure and needed to get some exercise to lower his blood pressure. On top of that his own father had died of a heart attack when he was 52 years old and Dave didn’t want that to be his fate too. About that time he went to London and ran with a friend, struggling to run up a small hill to the finish, and that was the start of his foray into running.

Were you involved in athletics in high schoo?

Dave attended St. Mary’s high school in St. Louis, but wasn’t a runner He did participate in sports though, including track (pole vault), football and rugby, and impressively he was a local Golden Gloves champion in the 118 pound weight class. So don’t mess with Dave!

How did you start racing? 

Dave said that he ran when his children were teenagers, running in the Village of Wilmette’s annual Fourth of July 5k. About that time he met his neighbors Dave and Nani Boyce, members of the Evanston Running Club, who introduced him to the club and its many running activities, and the rest as they say, is history. Since then Dave has been an active participant at local races, specializing in the 5k distance, where he is very often the winner of his ever shrinking age group. Dave’s best time for a 5k is 25 minute, which many of us would love to replicate.

What are some of the highlights of your running career?

“I have run in the Senior Olympics four times. It is held every other year, and you need to qualify for your events in the in between years. This past year I went to Milwaukee with several other ERC members to run in qualifying races and I qualified for the 400, 800 and 1,500 meters.”  By the way, Dave’s time for the 1,500 meters was 9:03, which is very impressive and translates to a 9:47 mile time.

What do you most enjoy about running?

“When I finish a run, I feel good. I’m happy it’s over, but I feel great.” Sounds like Dave is like most of us—hard to get started and out the door, but once we finish, we feel great. By the way, Dave couldn’t think of anything to answer the question, “What do you like least about running?”  That’s one happy runner in my opinion.

When did you have your knee surgery?

Dave had his knee surgery two years ago. It all happened at one of our ERC Wednesday track workouts, when he collapsed on the track as his knee buckled under him. We were all very concerned and immediately called his wife, and were hopeful it wasn’t a heart attack, or worse. It turns out Dave’s knee had been injured and he required partial replacement of his left knee. His doctor, Dr. Michael O’Rourke, told him to take it easy, “but you can run.” I guess that is all Dave needed to hear, and he began running soon after the surgery, and in the past year has focused on getting in shape for the Senior Games.

What does your training consist of now?

Dave runs the ERC Wintervals indoor at the Evanston High School track on Sundays from January through March, and our Wednesday interval session on their outdoor track from April through October. He occasionally runs on a treadmill and can run as much as 5-6 miles outside when training, with occasional walking interspersed.

What are your goals for the Senior Games?

For the Senior Games Dave will be running the 400, 800 and 1,500-meter races. Medals are awarded for the top three finishers in each race, with 4^ththough 8^thgetting ribbons. Needless to say, Dave is hoping for a podium finish in each race, but he is concerned because the 1,500-meter race is first, and it may tire him out for the two shorter races.

Senior Game Results

So now that the Senior Games results are in, how did Dave do? Well it didn’t go as planned. Dave was right to be concerned about the 1,500-meter race. Coming around the last turn Dave fell down as his left hamstring muscle gave way. He still managed to finish in 6^thplace, but he scratched from the other two races. But as you can see by the picture below, Dave still had a smile on his face, and he looks forward to resuming his running and training when his hamstring heals

Even with that bum hamstring Dave is smiling with his ribbon after the 1,500