Frank Condon on his way to an indoor 65-69 mile World Record of 5:11.43
at the 2008 Masters Indoors Championships.
By Bob Burns
When Frank Condon attended Villanova University in the early 1960s, he wanted to try his hand at the mile. But the Wildcats were chock full of great milers in those days, so the New York native stuck to the less glamorous shorter distances.
Patience isn’t one of his virtues, but Condon got his chance 45 years later, and he ran with it. At the 2008 USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships, Condon broke the world indoor record in the men’s 65-69 mile, clocking 5 minutes, 11.43 seconds.
“I showed up at Villanova as this hotshot high school runner and they told me I’d be running relays,” Condon said. “We had a ton of talent in those days. But the mile is really special to me. I guess I kind of eased into it.”
Condon is making up for lost time nicely. The Chico realtor and former burrito shop owner won the 800 meters and successfully defended his mile title at this year’s USA indoor meet. Condon hopes to win three individual events – adding the 400 meters to the 800 and 1,500 – at this summer’s outdoor nationals in Wisconsin.
“There’s a window of opportunity there,” he said. “I’d really like to get the triple.”
His masters career has been more like a home run, with more than 15 national titles accrued since he hit his stride in early 60s.
“I like everything about track and field,” Condon said. “I like the workouts, the meets, the people. There’s nothing I don’t like about it.”
He likes it so much he went back to working full-time. He sold his business and retired several years ago, tired of working 80-hour weeks at Speedy Burrito, the popular Chico restaurant had owned for 20 years.
Retirement wasn’t all it was cranked up to be, at least not in his view.
“I got bored hanging out with a bunch of 60-year-olds talking about what prescription drugs they take and all the things they can’t do,” Condon said. “Plus, I was running in a lot of meets across the country, and my wife pointed out that it was cutting into our savings. So I got the message and went back to work. I’m kind of a Type-A personality anyway.”
Condon didn’t make an immediate splash in masters track. In his mid-40s, he started running 5- and 10-kilomter races on the road to help keep his weight down. It wasn’t until he attended a masters track meet in Santa Rosa nearly 10 years later that he realized there were distances more to his liking.
“It took me a couple of years to get in shape,” Condon said. “I wasn’t very fast. I didn’t pick up on the fact that I needed to do speed work.”
Shortly after turning 60, he ran in a masters meet in Sacramento, clocking about a 2:26 for 800 meters. Another runner in the meet, Randy Sturgeon, asked Condon what sort of workouts he was doing.
“I don’t know … jog four miles maybe,” Condon replied.
“You could be ranked No. 1 in the country,” Sturgeon said. “But you need a coach.”
Sturgeon’s coaching provided the spark and direction Condon needed. Sturgeon is well known in Pacific Association circles as a competitor, coach and journalist. Sturgeon is the publisher and managing editor of National Masters News.
“The main thing I’ve done for Frank is temper his enthusiasm,” Sturgeon said. “He has a tendency to do too much, too soon.”
Condon competes for the Sacramento-based Golden West Track Club, communicating with Sturgeon primarily through e-mails. Condon also enjoys e-mailing many of his fellow competitors, including Vic Zworak, a college teammate at Villanova who won an NCAA cross country title and competed in the steeplechase at the 1964 Olympic Games.
Zworak finished third in the M70 3,000 meters at the 2009 USA Masters Indoor Championships. Condon enjoys picking the brain of Orville Rogers, a leading sprinter in the men’s 90-94 division.
“These guys really inspire me,” Condon said. “They’re kind of like my heroes.”
Condon holds the U.S. record in the 65-69 division for the 800 meters and is determined to add the 1,500-meter mark this summer. Joe King set the U.S. record of 4:56.31 in 1991, back when Condon was selling burritos.
“My workouts tell me I can run faster than 4:56,” Condon said. “I really think I can do it. I know I can do it. That’s the attitude you have to take with running – you have to know you can do it.”
Condon has never competed outside of the United States, skipping the World Masters Athletics (WMA) championship events. He’ll make an exception in 2011, when the WMA Outdoor Championships come to Sacramento.
“I just like to get out there and run as hard as I can,” Condon said. “I want to run ’til I drop,” Condon said.
