Ode to Tom Fleming

  The New Jersey running community was saddened and surprised by the death of Tom Fleming, at age 65, on April 19th.
   I didn't know Tom personally, but was certainly aware of his legend and legacy. A two-time winner of the New York City Marathon (1973 and 1975), he also he also finished second at Boston, the first time in 1973, when he was a senior at William Paterson College, a small teaching school in North Jersey.
   Most of his success came before the late '70's running boom, and by all accounts, Tom was a running junkie and purist.  In his heyday, he banged out 120 to 140 mile training weeks, and was a big advocate of the "long, slow distance," method to success.
    I don't think cross-training was part of his lexicon or beliefs, but the grueling hours on the road certainly worked for him, as he also won the Jersey Shore Marathon three times, as well several others across North America.
    Injuries eventually took their toll, but Tom stayed part of the running scene as a high school coach, and, for many years,  as owner of the Tom Fleming's Running Room in Bloomfield, his lifetime hometown. He also was involved in the Sunset Classic 5-miler in Bloomfield, a popular early-summer evening event.
   Tom most recently was a teacher at Montclair Kimberly, a well-regarded Essex County private school, and was the coach of the cross-country and track teams. His last cross-country team won  the Super Essex Conference Liberty Division crown, and the heart attack that felled him happened, ironically, and perhaps fittingly, at one of the team's track meets.
   There are all types of medical debates on how much benefit running does for your heart. How much is most beneficial, can there be too much, and does the intensity of the miles matter? That's a subject for another time, and the most important aspect, always, is your genetic background and make-up.
   No doubt, Tom ran for the love of it, and probably wouldn't have traded it for anything. Whether it lengthened, shortened or had no difference on his life span was probably immaterial, Running brought him joy!