For the second consecutive year Wallaceburg’s Joe Perry is going to be running in the Boston Marathon.
Perry, 47, told the Sydenham Current it is an honour to do this race.
“So many try and come up just short of qualifying,” he said.
“It deserves my best and I will give it all I have.”
Perry said he will be one of three Canadians running as part of Team Hoyt and he has also had the “great honour” of being coached by three time Boston champion, Uta Pippig.
“I should give thanks to the Defiance Running Club for giving me that extra bit of motivation to go running outside in even the worst conditions,” he said. “I know that helped me last year at Boston when the weather was so miserable. I felt like I had an advantage since I tried outside all winter. This year’s forecast in Boston is looking great, so I hope to do well.”
The race itself this year is going to be held on Monday, April 18.
Perry will be wearing bib #12216, and will be starting at around 10:25 a.m.
“Hopefully I manage to re-qualify for Boston 2017 this weekend… I need to finish under 3 hours and 25 minutes,” Perry said.
You can follow along with Perry’s progress here.
With a full season of Tough Mudder events on the horizon for Perry, he said he recently found out about another fun opportunity for him.
“I recently found out that I’ve been selected as an obstacle tester for the upcoming seasons of American Ninja Warrior,” he said.
“I won’t be on TV but a bunch of us will go to Indianapolis to play around on the new obstacles they have designed for the next season. Pretty sweet opportunity.”
For Tough Mudder, Perry was named as an ambassador for the entire series.
“I’m planning to attend ten events this year,” he said.
“I was named an Ambassador for the year to help promote the series. Over the past four seasons I don’t think anyone else in the world has completed more laps of a Tough Mudder course than me. Apparently that, and my multilook facepaint appearance made me stand out in a crowd.”
Perry added: “As always my ultimate goal is to compete again in the World’s Toughest Mudder. This will be my fifth appearance. Along with my Wallaceburg teammates in 2012, our team finished ninth. The next three years I competed individually and finished in the top 100 each time (36, 55, 79) and finished first and second in my age division.”
Perry said he’ll also be competing in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships again this year, where he placed 24th in the world last year. He’s also entering into a number of regular road races varying in length from 5K to half marathon.
In terms of training for both Tough Mudder and the Boston Marathon, cardio is key for both, Perry said.
“I run as often as I can. I do a lot of core work too. I do some light weight training but nothing super heavy. I focus on endurance rather than brute strength. As long as I’m comfortable with my own body weight, that’s all I need. Grip strength is important too for Tough Mudder.”
Perry, who owns Internet Kent in Wallaceburg, said he has made some changes this year as well.
“This is the first time I’ve ever had a coach guide me,” he said.
“I also did some reading over the winter and changed my training philosophy. I now do a variety of different types of runs: tempo, interval, long distance, and incline. Finding any type of hills around home is tough so I rely on my treadmill for that.”
Perry added: “Having the new track at the (Wallaceburg) high school has been awesome. It gives me a new place to focus on my speed work. Already this year I’ve set some personal best times on various routes. In terms of distance I’m usually well over 200km in a month. I also discovered value in rest days so my body can charge back up.”
In terms of diet, Perry said he eats lots of smaller meals.
“My diet has really changed. I drool at the thought of my protein shakes loaded with all kinds of fruits and vegetables… I rarely ate before.”
Perry said it’s great knowing he’s in the best shape of his life, with no intention of slowing down.
“Age is not a limitation,” Perry said.
“Focus your mind on something and goals can be achieved.”
Here are some more stories we have done on Joe Perry:
– Joe Perry’s Boston Marathon Experience
– Richie, Perry and McCaughrin conquer WTM
– Horrobin and Perry tackling Boston Marathon
– Letter: World’s Toughest Mudder Summary
– Heading to Las Vegas for World’s Toughest Mudder
– Wallaceburg man featured by Tough Mudder nation
– Facebook photo: Joe Perry at the Boston Marathon in 2015.
