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Steve Bond, appropriately wearing No. 500, separates himself from the pack at Thursday's 4th Annual Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot.
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The first time his name appeared in the newspaper, Steve Bond was just a bashful Little Leaguer who'd made a play at third base and found it captured, forever, in the local paper.
He went to field a ground ball, fell down, but recovered in time to beat the baserunner to first — thanks to his brother's stab to save the high throw.
“I knew it wasn't really deserved,” he said. “It had a huge impact, especially growing up as sort of introvert, sort of a shy kid.
“It was like ‘Wow! I got my name in the paper! I'd kind of like to do that again!'”
Bond, The Union's running columnist, is back in the paper today because he just crossed the finish line for the 500th time in Thursday's Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot. But always because it's high time The Union and the western Nevada County community says “thanks” to a guy who's given the local running community quite a bit of coverage through the years.
Steve's first race was in 1973, the Wakeman Boys Club Run for Fun back in Stamford, Conn.
It was love at first stride.
He's been rail-thin his entire life, even earning the nickname “Needle” as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers cross country and track teams. Still, despite his slight stature, he played football in junior high and soccer in high school. He'd given basketball a shot, but was cut from the team his freshman year.
Then one day in gym class, he ran the mile in 6 minutes and 10 seconds, without having ever trained.
“I was OK at a lot of sports,” Bond said. “But I had finally found one I could excel at. And that was the difference.
“It's not the only thing that defines me, but it's a huge part of my life.”
Bond once made the paper as a member of a world record setting team, and it was recorded, forever.
He and seven teammates broke the world standard for a 24-hour relay. Every 40 minutes, a runner took his turn at running a mile. Bond reaches into a box filled with 20 years of meticulous running journals and finds the entry. He lapped his first mile in 5:26.9 and his last in 5:40.5. His note-keeping not only provides him with a history, but also so many memories of competition.
He once ran 1,798 straight days, covering 16,622 miles. That streak ended only because he got mono and was coughing up blood. Despite an enlarged spleen, he only decided against running that day — Friday, Jan. 13, 1978 — because his teammates told him it wasn't such a good idea.
His best mile was 4:26 in his senior year of high school, when he finished sixth in the state. After breaking that eight-man world record, the group later set the six-man mark, which meant each runner ran an average 5:56 mile every 30 minutes over the 24-hour period. They covered 252 miles. Steve ran 42 of them. He started the race at 118 pounds and finished weighing 106 pounds.
The detailed notes drive him, but also remind him that his goals today need not compare to those of the past.
“I'll never be able to do that again,” he says, “but I've got to be the best I can be now.”
After embarking on a college career that had his name in the paper many times, including the time he placed 14th in an Atlantic Coast Conference meet, the recognition stopped. But back in 1997, his name was back in the paper — The Union newspaper — because he was a heart-broken runner who was struggling with knee injuries that had sidelined him for the better part of 15 years.
Paul Shigley's column captured Bond's determination to run again. And just like that shy baseball player so many years ago, it inspired him to not only run, but to compete. He eventually did, competing for the first time in the 1998 Spring Run after knee surgery.
“That was a huge impact, because as I got older I'd been struggling through the injuries,” he said. “It took a while to break through, but (the column) made a big impact. And Paul and I are friends to this day.”
Steve's name has appeared in The Union many, many times since, typically twice a month for the past six or seven years. Back when I first joined The Union team, Steve called me up to talk about the local running coverage. But rather than simply complain, he offered to help. And Steve Bond's “Run for your life” columns have given a large running community coverage ever since, putting thousands of names in the local paper.
He not only keeps folks informed of upcoming races and provides results, but also offers tips and encouragement to those who share his passion — and sometimes pain.
“My intention to do the column was two-fold,” he said of starting the column. “The races weren't getting the coverage and I felt like they should. And I wanted to promote running as a sport. I want to encourage runners. I know people like to you see their name in the paper. I get the e-mails from people, telling me they're running out to get a scrapbook.
“And that's what I want to do to give something back to running. It took me from a being an insecure, shy — dare I say — a person with not much feelings of self worth — to having a real level of confidence.”
Today Steve Bond's back in the paper again, with hopes of shedding some light on the passion he has for his sport and those who share in it. He's now running the best in years. Still rail-thin, few would guess he'll be 54 in May.
He's a father of three — Jennifer, 21, Traci, 19, and Skylar, 13 — and lives right on one of many folks favorite runs in Nevada City. Now working in advertising, he's been writing professionally for years. He once penned a story on Grand Funk Railroad for an entertainment magazine.
And now, as a running columnist, he's able to combine two of his passions into a pretty satisfying hobby.
Each morning he reads a fortune-cookie sized note in his bathroom mirror, encouraging him to take that next step to reach his goals. Trying for that personal record in all aspects of life each day, Bond's still competing to be the best he can be.
“You get out of it, what you put into it,” he says of running, and perhaps life itself. “Part of it is communicating to people that if you work at something, you can be good at it. And in running you can see what the rewards are. And that changed my life for the better.”
On Thursday, he was honored by the running community with a custom plaque for Steve “Needle” Bond's achievement. But as he crossed the finish line at the Turkey Trot, Steve did so with heavy heart. His father, Richard Bond, has taken ill just before Thanksgiving. Steve said when he got tired he just thought of his dad to tough it out.
“He was a quarter-miler in college,” Steve said. “I think his best time was 56 seconds. He ran the New York City marathon, his first and only marathon, at age 65.”
See, there he goes again, getting another runner's name in the paper.
Thanks and congrats, Steve.
Brian Hamilton is sports editor at The Union. Contact him via e-mail at bhamilton@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4240.
He went to field a ground ball, fell down, but recovered in time to beat the baserunner to first — thanks to his brother's stab to save the high throw.
“I knew it wasn't really deserved,” he said. “It had a huge impact, especially growing up as sort of introvert, sort of a shy kid.
“It was like ‘Wow! I got my name in the paper! I'd kind of like to do that again!'”
Bond, The Union's running columnist, is back in the paper today because he just crossed the finish line for the 500th time in Thursday's Michael Bratton II Turkey Trot. But always because it's high time The Union and the western Nevada County community says “thanks” to a guy who's given the local running community quite a bit of coverage through the years.
Steve's first race was in 1973, the Wakeman Boys Club Run for Fun back in Stamford, Conn.
It was love at first stride.
He's been rail-thin his entire life, even earning the nickname “Needle” as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers cross country and track teams. Still, despite his slight stature, he played football in junior high and soccer in high school. He'd given basketball a shot, but was cut from the team his freshman year.
Then one day in gym class, he ran the mile in 6 minutes and 10 seconds, without having ever trained.
“I was OK at a lot of sports,” Bond said. “But I had finally found one I could excel at. And that was the difference.
“It's not the only thing that defines me, but it's a huge part of my life.”
Bond once made the paper as a member of a world record setting team, and it was recorded, forever.
He and seven teammates broke the world standard for a 24-hour relay. Every 40 minutes, a runner took his turn at running a mile. Bond reaches into a box filled with 20 years of meticulous running journals and finds the entry. He lapped his first mile in 5:26.9 and his last in 5:40.5. His note-keeping not only provides him with a history, but also so many memories of competition.
He once ran 1,798 straight days, covering 16,622 miles. That streak ended only because he got mono and was coughing up blood. Despite an enlarged spleen, he only decided against running that day — Friday, Jan. 13, 1978 — because his teammates told him it wasn't such a good idea.
His best mile was 4:26 in his senior year of high school, when he finished sixth in the state. After breaking that eight-man world record, the group later set the six-man mark, which meant each runner ran an average 5:56 mile every 30 minutes over the 24-hour period. They covered 252 miles. Steve ran 42 of them. He started the race at 118 pounds and finished weighing 106 pounds.
The detailed notes drive him, but also remind him that his goals today need not compare to those of the past.
“I'll never be able to do that again,” he says, “but I've got to be the best I can be now.”
After embarking on a college career that had his name in the paper many times, including the time he placed 14th in an Atlantic Coast Conference meet, the recognition stopped. But back in 1997, his name was back in the paper — The Union newspaper — because he was a heart-broken runner who was struggling with knee injuries that had sidelined him for the better part of 15 years.
Paul Shigley's column captured Bond's determination to run again. And just like that shy baseball player so many years ago, it inspired him to not only run, but to compete. He eventually did, competing for the first time in the 1998 Spring Run after knee surgery.
“That was a huge impact, because as I got older I'd been struggling through the injuries,” he said. “It took a while to break through, but (the column) made a big impact. And Paul and I are friends to this day.”
Steve's name has appeared in The Union many, many times since, typically twice a month for the past six or seven years. Back when I first joined The Union team, Steve called me up to talk about the local running coverage. But rather than simply complain, he offered to help. And Steve Bond's “Run for your life” columns have given a large running community coverage ever since, putting thousands of names in the local paper.
He not only keeps folks informed of upcoming races and provides results, but also offers tips and encouragement to those who share his passion — and sometimes pain.
“My intention to do the column was two-fold,” he said of starting the column. “The races weren't getting the coverage and I felt like they should. And I wanted to promote running as a sport. I want to encourage runners. I know people like to you see their name in the paper. I get the e-mails from people, telling me they're running out to get a scrapbook.
“And that's what I want to do to give something back to running. It took me from a being an insecure, shy — dare I say — a person with not much feelings of self worth — to having a real level of confidence.”
Today Steve Bond's back in the paper again, with hopes of shedding some light on the passion he has for his sport and those who share in it. He's now running the best in years. Still rail-thin, few would guess he'll be 54 in May.
He's a father of three — Jennifer, 21, Traci, 19, and Skylar, 13 — and lives right on one of many folks favorite runs in Nevada City. Now working in advertising, he's been writing professionally for years. He once penned a story on Grand Funk Railroad for an entertainment magazine.
And now, as a running columnist, he's able to combine two of his passions into a pretty satisfying hobby.
Each morning he reads a fortune-cookie sized note in his bathroom mirror, encouraging him to take that next step to reach his goals. Trying for that personal record in all aspects of life each day, Bond's still competing to be the best he can be.
“You get out of it, what you put into it,” he says of running, and perhaps life itself. “Part of it is communicating to people that if you work at something, you can be good at it. And in running you can see what the rewards are. And that changed my life for the better.”
On Thursday, he was honored by the running community with a custom plaque for Steve “Needle” Bond's achievement. But as he crossed the finish line at the Turkey Trot, Steve did so with heavy heart. His father, Richard Bond, has taken ill just before Thanksgiving. Steve said when he got tired he just thought of his dad to tough it out.
“He was a quarter-miler in college,” Steve said. “I think his best time was 56 seconds. He ran the New York City marathon, his first and only marathon, at age 65.”
See, there he goes again, getting another runner's name in the paper.
Thanks and congrats, Steve.
Brian Hamilton is sports editor at The Union. Contact him via e-mail at bhamilton@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4240.
