Nothing can slow down Jack Staph, who recently turned 70. Staph, executive director of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and a business/corporate lawyer with a private practice in Pepper Pike, hasn’t run in two years.
Although he endures issues with both knees (including missing cartilage), it doesn’t mean he won’t one day navigate a hiking trail to a mountain peak or enter a marathon walking category.
“It’s hard to say I’m only going for a walk,” Jack says. He still sneaks in a run at times for a few seconds. “When I see an incline, I push it as much as I can, and I may run to a telephone pole.”
Jack relishes any opportunity to be outside in the sun and even when it rains while he walks with his umbrella. He also enjoys all the responsibilities that come with overseeing the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.
TAKING ON THE RACE
He bought the rights to the event in 2002, turning it into a year-round family business. His son Ralph helps run operations. The marathon and related events attract 40,000 runners, volunteers and fans. He’s always busy with race details and looking after elite athletes.
Staph, in fact, ran the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon only one time in 1978 – when the event began as the Revco Cleveland Marathon. He was general counsel for Revco, which asked him to take the helm the next year.
Over the years, however, Staph managed to run seven other marathons in West Palm Beach, Buffalo and Erie. He credits world-famous long distance runner Frank Shorter for inspiring him in the 70s when the running movement took off.
“Anyone who does something positive for others motivates me,” he says. “It’s not so much what they did but how they went about doing it.”
For now, Jack plans to continue leading the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and to see how he can challenge his body and his mind.
Currently, he walks about three miles a day. However, he still prefers running shoes and shops at Fleet Feet and Second Sole for his gear. He favors styles from Saucony, Mizuno, Asics and Nike.
Typically, he will go to the city of Beachwood’s all-purpose trail or to the polo field in the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation for his exercise. He also enjoys yoga and stays healthy with weight-bearing exercises.
“That treadmill is too boring,” he says.
Staph, who was diagnosed gluten-intolerant in 2002 and limits his food options, still indulges in his favorites. “When I’m feeling undisciplined …anything goes … I love chocolate cake.”
For individuals who want to finish a marathon, Jack says, “You need to start off slow, then find an even pace, daydream and enjoy the moment and the people around you.
“Regardless of their health ambitions, they simply need to make the effort to be active,” he adds. “They should have some kind of sustained movement in their life and not just getting off the sofa. Run or walk up hills or steps. Then you should read and think. You need to find time to be quiet. It settles the mind.”
HURDLING LIFE’S CHALLENGES
No mountain or marathon will ever top what he pulled off in his personal life– working full time as an insurance adjuster, attending law school at Cleveland State’s Marshall College of Law and raising a family (Jack and his wife Bernadette have three children).
As he looks back, it was the biggest challenge he ever faced.
“The only reason that I made it was because I had the right wife,” he says. “She was so supportive. She didn’t complain. She was right there.”
For a few years, he says his wife made sure their first child, Ralph, got into his pajamas and was ready for bed. She kept the preschooler up as late as possible a couple nights a week so Staph could spend a few precious minutes with him after classes wrapped up.
“I want my children to be honest, hardworking and respect the people they work for as well as those who work for them,” he says. “I want them to respect people in general.”
As for Cleveland, he adds, “First, I want to be known as the person who organized a road race where anyone, regardless of their athletic skills, could participate. Second, I added to the economic impact to Northeast Ohio. Third, I provided an opportunity for charities to raise funds and awareness for their causes. Lastly, I want to be known as the guy who helped people get healthy by encouraging them to … move.”
