Ironic/funny/odd how we’re discussing this past Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Winter Series when we’re in the middle of the biggest heatwave of the year.
Well, make sure the icetrays are full and the air conditioner is on high because the following story will hold up in any kind of weather.
As it turns out, Robert Stianchi of Jamison was looking to better his time at this year’s Boston Marathon.
Somewhat new to the area, he had just found out about the Winter Series through running friends and decided to give it a try.
The 42-year-old’s first go-around went so well that he wound up winning the men’s title and went on to run nearly a four-minute PR at Boston with a sparkling 2:50.
Just further evidence that those challenging Tyler State Park hills can shave some time off the old stopwatch, particularly in an event like the not-so-flat Boston 26.2-miler.
He had been running Boston since 2015 and finally cracked the three-hour mark in 2024. But he wasn’t satisfied with that.
“I had reached my goal (of breaking three hours),” he explained. “I said all right, I’ll do the Winter Series and see how that goes.
“This was my first time something like racing every week. I had never run in Tyler before and was surprised how hilly it was.”
That can make a big difference when preparing for Boston’s Heartbreak Hill in mid-April.
“The Winter Series actually did wonders for my training,” Stianchi said. “I not only won the Series but took almost four minutes off my marathon best. I credit it to the Winter Series and running through Tyler.”
The Rutgers University graduate, who grew up in Bridgewater, N.J., actually didn’t take up running until 2009. The only sports he had really competed in during his school days were soccer, with a bit of track thrown in.
He was sitting on a New Jersey beach one summer day that year with his wife, Erica, when she mentioned he might want to lose a few pounds – or maybe more than a few.
“Actually about 30,” he said with a laugh. “I told her when I get home, I’m going to start running.”
Now that’s what you call motivation from the highest source.
“She said, ‘no you’re not,’ and it’s true I had tried to start a couple times,” said Stianchi, who really hadn’t run since his days at Bridgewater-Raritan High School. “I would run a little bit and then I would quit on it.
“I thought about that and realized I had been making excuses. ‘Oh, it’s cold or it’s rainy.’ You stop and then you don’t do it.”
This time he was determined. He made a commitment to himself, that he would run at least five days a week. No excuses. If it rained, he wore a rain jacket. Cold? Extra layers.
And now, believe it or not, he’s in the midst of a streak of consecutive days of running which is reaching 2,000.
The distance stuff began with a stab at the Philly Half-Marathon and took off from there.
“My life really changed from that one little conversation on the beach,” Stianchi said. “She was completely honest when she challenged me. Sometimes that brutal honesty can be helpful.”
Stianchi has been employed for a number of years with pharmaceutical company Merck, specializing in cancer care. He was based in New Jersey but about seven years ago heard and read about the beauty and history of Bucks County. That’s how the family decided to move across the Delaware.
He still works for Merck but his lifestyle is a little less hectic than it was in New Jersey.
His official title is “U.S. lead for precision medicine.” He leads a team of mostly pathologists and oncologists who study different types of bio-markers – protein identifiers which will determine certain types of therapy for cancer patients.
Robert and Erica have two sons: Michael, 13, who attends Holicong Middle School and Ryan, 10, who goes to Warwick Elementary School.
Speaking of families, the Roadrunners Club really thinks of itself as one, with all new members welcomed with open arms. The more the merrier.
“My first race, I actually rolled my ankle two days before,” Stianchi explained. “I wasn’t even going to run it. I just showed up and was going to volunteer. I started helping out with breakfast and it was a nice way to meet everyone.
“It was more than just the running. It was nice to get my first taste of it by helping the Roadrunners through volunteering.”
In recent years he’s clicking off personal bests of 16:44 for 5K, 36:57 for 10K and 1:20.20 for the half-marathon.
Now about that 2,000-day streak — maybe a little obsessive/compulsive thing going on there?
He’s scheduled to hit that big number on July 11 after running every day since January, 2020. What’s the plan looking down the road?
“I am totally OCD about it,” he said. “At least one mile a day. I have no goal. I’ve gone this far, I might as well keep going.
“If I feel OK, I will go and do a run. I had COVID and did it. One time I forgot my running shoes on a work trip so I ran two miles in the snow in my work shoes.”
That’s the kind of commitment which, at age 42, leads to a Winter Series win and a Boston personal best.
>Race calendar
>Saturday
Dairy Air 5K/10K/13.1-Miles, 8:30 a.m., Doylestown. Contact www.scoogieevents.com
Sunday
OneNationRunning 4 on the Fourth, 8:30 a.m., Churchbille. Contact www.onenationrunning.com
Run for the Fallen 5K, 8:30 a.m., Penndel. Contact www.runsignup.com
>Friday, July 4
Revolutionary Run 10K, 5K, 1-mile, 8 a.m., Washington Crossing. Contact www.runsignup
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