By Christine Yost, All Comers Camp Rockstar

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Bernier about his attempt to run Rome, Paris and then Boston Marathons, all in less than thirty days. I met Ron at Craftsbury Running Camp in 2017. Since then we’ve planned to sync schedules so we can be at Camp together as often as possible (sometimes twice a year). I am so grateful that I found a true friend at Craftsbury. Ron’s talent and dedication to the sport of running is a persistent source of joy and inspiration for me. I was thrilled to interview him about his recent adventure – running Rome, Paris and Boston Marathons.

Christine: Rome Marathon was on March 27th. Paris a week later on April 3rd. What inspired you to attempt back-to-back marathons on your European Vacation?

Ron: It seemed like a fun sort of challenge to try. I mentioned at Camp last summer that I was originally supposed to do Antarctica. Before the pandemic, I finished the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and Antarctica would be my start on completing a marathon on all seven continents. I was all set to go, but then the date changed, and Antarctica no longer fit my schedule. Right about that time the company Marathon Tours and Travel announced they were doing a Rome/Paris challenge. I signed up, to see if I could handle back-to-back marathons. I also had a bib to run Boston Marathon two weeks later!

How did you prepare for the effort?

I wouldn't say my preparation changed a lot. I was working with Jamie Norton, Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country coach at University of La Verne and Green Racing Project (GRP) Run coach, preparing for Boston. When I told him that I was doing this challenge right before Boston, he changed my training up a bit. We ramped up sooner than we would have for just Boston. We had enough warning so that I wasn't suddenly taking huge leaps in mileage. We had me doing a few long runs before the challenge and some speed work. The training didn't change much, it just sped up the timeline.

Jamie and I went into the challenge thinking that I would use Rome to aim for a Boston Qualifier (BQ) for next year, then take it easy in Paris, and ramp it up again in Boston. It didn't quite work out that way. I did Rome in a decent enough time, but it wasn't enough for a BQ next year. I thought, well it is what it is, I'll just enjoy Paris and see what happens. It was weird. I ended up feeling more beat up obviously a week later doing Paris, but I had a slightly better run. The temperatures were cooler. My time was better, and it just felt better. You never know with that distance how you're going to do. So, in Paris I got a decent BQ, by about five minutes! Then I knew in two weeks later in Boston I could just have fun.

What stories do you want to share about the races?

It was really very hot in Rome. If you were spectating it was a nice day, but running it was hot. Being in the city, it just got very hot very fast. Rome was also tough because you are running on cobblestone toward the end of race. It comes at the worst possible time, like with the hills in Boston. Your form is gone and you just try to stay upright while hobbling across the cobblestones. 

The Paris course is probably my favorite (keeping Boston aside for obvious reasons). It was just gorgeous. You start out on the Champs-Élysées and you are running with your back to the Arc de Triomphe. Then you’re running through a beautiful park. At the end, you’re running toward the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe again. It’s just such a beautiful course.

The crowds were so wonderful for both European races. People, just total strangers, cheering you on in Italian and cheering you on in French. We had our names on our bibs so the spectators could pick out our names and yell for us. I heard a lot of “Ronaldo” in Italy. And in Paris spectators were handing out whole meals, not just orange slices! Handing out sandwiches and baguettes.

What did you learn that will inform your running going forward?

I came away with understanding that I have two options. Either my training would shift to incorporate regular marathons more often. I could be satisfied with a slower outcome, sort of recalibrate. Or, I can focus my training for one good, solid performance, maybe every spring and every fall. I don't know that I would do back-to-backs again. It was tons of fun. But if I'm serious about still trying to improve my time, and maybe get another PR at some point, then I think the key would be to focus on a particular race. Maybe do more shorter races as way to prepare – half marathons or 10ks as part of my build up. It seems like I could go either way at my age, 60 years old. I will have to decide, I'm going to be slower from now on and just do as many marathons as I like and enjoy them as part vacation or travel. Or go the other way and say, you know I still have a PR in me so I’m going to focus on that kind of training. I think I am going to do the latter and focus on an A and B race each year. 

I also want to shout out the support from Craftsbury, from Jamie, Heidi Caldwell and the other coaches. I received many encouraging emails and texts from other run campers. I saw campers on the course in Boston cheering. It's just so nice that when you're running those 26.2 miles to be thinking of the people at Craftsbury and how much fun we have. It gets me through.

Thank you to Ron for sharing his experience. Ron and I hope to see many of you at Camps this summer and fall!

Edited for brevity and clarity.