There are times when a race makes the runner or others where the runner makes the race.
In Ethan Frank’s case, it’s been a little bit of both.
The Newtown resident didn’t take up running until less than a decade ago when he decided to jump into one of the Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Winter Series races.
Fast forward to earlier this calendar year when Frank wound up winning the Winter Series men’s title.
Now if that isn’t an example of mutualism, we don’t know what is.
Or better yet, a classic case of finding one’s own potential through the excellence of others.
“Last year was the first time I had ever even won any race in the Winter Series,” said Frank, 43, in a recent telephone interview.
Frank explained part of the reason for his success was that several past WS champions chose not to compete all that much in the 2023-24 slate. But that shouldn’t detract from his accomplishment. All one can do is outrun the people at the starting line.
“Jamie Gray and Alex Carideo, they didn’t make a lot of races,” Frank explained. “And even though my race times took a jump during COVID, Jamie and Alex are so fast, I couldn’t beat them when my times took a jump for the better.”
Since he had qualified for the Boston Marathon, Frank originally decided not to go all out in the 11 competitions at Tyler State Park.
“This past year, I thought the best thing to do was not gun it in the races,” he said. “But at the start of the first race after the New Year I looked around and thought, ‘Oh, Jamie’s not here, Alex isn’t here.’ It felt like now or never if I wanted to win a race.”
And win he did.
“In the past, I would kind of take it easy,” Frank said. “Meet up with a bunch of the guys, run six, seven, eight miles before the race, then take it easy during the race. But I’m overly competitive. I had to run hard.”
Is that all it took?
“I attribute it to Jamie getting married,” Frank said with a laugh. “He doesn’t have as much free time!”
Frank, a native of Alexandria, Va., moved with his family to State College, Pa. after sixth grade. Years later, that’s where he met his future wife, Leanne, a Pennsbury High School graduate.
Today they have a family, including daughter Cierra (14) and Aulden (12). Cierra attends Council Rock High School North and Aulden goes to Goodnoe Elementary School.
Both parents are employed by Olson Research Group, an organization involved in health care and pharmaceutical research.
They live about 10 minutes from Tyler, so it’s easy to see how Ethan became involved with running.
“I wasn’t a runner,” he said. “I played basketball and the only running I did was some aggressive fall conditioning.
“I had never run a race before until about eight years ago I signed up for the first Winter Series.”
It seemed like a good way to stay in shape.
“I really had no idea what to expect,” Frank said. “A friend of mine, Stu Taylor, was head of registration for the Winter Series. I had been doing two- or three-mile runs a few days a week. Then winter would come and I would not do anything.”
With a little bit of encouragement, Frank gave the Winter Series a try.
“I signed up not even knowing what to expect,” he said. “I thought I would go to Tyler Park and it would just be this big group of runners. I showed up and did the Covered Bridge 5K. It was brutally hard. But I was coming from a sports background, kind of competitive.
“I didn’t like how awful I was that first race. I guess I kind of got hooked into trying to get better and faster.”
In a few short years, Frank expanded his training all the way up to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. There he surprised even himself with an outstanding time of 2:58, some two minutes under the coveted three-hour mark.
“I give all the credit to the Winter Series, a hundred percent,” he said. “It’s kind of spoiled me. Can’t ask for a better group of people. It’s 10 bucks for a race, they have all the food, it’s so well-run. For me to have to drive 45 minutes and spend 50 bucks for other races, it’s just no worth it.”
Frank is now one of the local series’ biggest advocates.
“I’ve told a bunch of people about the Series,” he said. “Anybody who tells me they have any kind of interest in running, I tell them about it. Anybody who signs up is still doing it and loving it.”
Frank qualified for Boston by running the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:00.36.
“I never dreamed this was something I would be doing,” Frank said. “But once I qualified I figured I have to take advantage of it. Did Boston in 2023. It was phenomenal. And the Winter Series played a big part in all of it.”
Next up for Frank could be the 2025 Chicago Marathon. Officially, the starting line for that race is in Illinois, but you could say his quest begins on Dec. 8 when this year’s Winter Series kicks off at Tyler State Park.>Race calendar
In Ethan Frank’s case, it’s been a little bit of both.
The Newtown resident didn’t take up running until less than a decade ago when he decided to jump into one of the Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Winter Series races.
Fast forward to earlier this calendar year when Frank wound up winning the Winter Series men’s title.
Now if that isn’t an example of mutualism, we don’t know what is.
Or better yet, a classic case of finding one’s own potential through the excellence of others.
“Last year was the first time I had ever even won any race in the Winter Series,” said Frank, 43, in a recent telephone interview.
Frank explained part of the reason for his success was that several past WS champions chose not to compete all that much in the 2023-24 slate. But that shouldn’t detract from his accomplishment. All one can do is outrun the people at the starting line.
“Jamie Gray and Alex Carideo, they didn’t make a lot of races,” Frank explained. “And even though my race times took a jump during COVID, Jamie and Alex are so fast, I couldn’t beat them when my times took a jump for the better.”
Since he had qualified for the Boston Marathon, Frank originally decided not to go all out in the 11 competitions at Tyler State Park.
“This past year, I thought the best thing to do was not gun it in the races,” he said. “But at the start of the first race after the New Year I looked around and thought, ‘Oh, Jamie’s not here, Alex isn’t here.’ It felt like now or never if I wanted to win a race.”
And win he did.
“In the past, I would kind of take it easy,” Frank said. “Meet up with a bunch of the guys, run six, seven, eight miles before the race, then take it easy during the race. But I’m overly competitive. I had to run hard.”
Is that all it took?
“I attribute it to Jamie getting married,” Frank said with a laugh. “He doesn’t have as much free time!”
Frank, a native of Alexandria, Va., moved with his family to State College, Pa. after sixth grade. Years later, that’s where he met his future wife, Leanne, a Pennsbury High School graduate.
Today they have a family, including daughter Cierra (14) and Aulden (12). Cierra attends Council Rock High School North and Aulden goes to Goodnoe Elementary School.
Both parents are employed by Olson Research Group, an organization involved in health care and pharmaceutical research.
They live about 10 minutes from Tyler, so it’s easy to see how Ethan became involved with running.
“I wasn’t a runner,” he said. “I played basketball and the only running I did was some aggressive fall conditioning.
“I had never run a race before until about eight years ago I signed up for the first Winter Series.”
It seemed like a good way to stay in shape.
“I really had no idea what to expect,” Frank said. “A friend of mine, Stu Taylor, was head of registration for the Winter Series. I had been doing two- or three-mile runs a few days a week. Then winter would come and I would not do anything.”
With a little bit of encouragement, Frank gave the Winter Series a try.
“I signed up not even knowing what to expect,” he said. “I thought I would go to Tyler Park and it would just be this big group of runners. I showed up and did the Covered Bridge 5K. It was brutally hard. But I was coming from a sports background, kind of competitive.
“I didn’t like how awful I was that first race. I guess I kind of got hooked into trying to get better and faster.”
In a few short years, Frank expanded his training all the way up to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. There he surprised even himself with an outstanding time of 2:58, some two minutes under the coveted three-hour mark.
“I give all the credit to the Winter Series, a hundred percent,” he said. “It’s kind of spoiled me. Can’t ask for a better group of people. It’s 10 bucks for a race, they have all the food, it’s so well-run. For me to have to drive 45 minutes and spend 50 bucks for other races, it’s just no worth it.”
Frank is now one of the local series’ biggest advocates.
“I’ve told a bunch of people about the Series,” he said. “Anybody who tells me they have any kind of interest in running, I tell them about it. Anybody who signs up is still doing it and loving it.”
Frank qualified for Boston by running the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:00.36.
“I never dreamed this was something I would be doing,” Frank said. “But once I qualified I figured I have to take advantage of it. Did Boston in 2023. It was phenomenal. And the Winter Series played a big part in all of it.”
Next up for Frank could be the 2025 Chicago Marathon. Officially, the starting line for that race is in Illinois, but you could say his quest begins on Dec. 8 when this year’s Winter Series kicks off at Tyler State Park.>Race calendar
Saturday
Veterans Day 5K, 9:30 a.m., Tyler State Park, Richboro. Contact www.runsignup.com
Thursday, Nov. 28
BCRR/Peruzzi Auto Group Thanksgiving Day 5-Mile/5K/1-Mile, 9 a.m., Summit Square Shopping Center, Langhorne. Contact www.runsignup.com
