Bill Rodgers, Marathoner

October 29, 1979

Though he turned 50 last December, Bill Rodgers still looks strikingly like the man who was the preeminent marathoner in the world two decades ago. His hair is blond and thick; his frame remains slender and fit, a testament to his principles. "Being a runner is very ordinary, really," Rodgers says. "I believe in living an active life—using your body and your muscles. We're all meant to move. We're all meant to be athletes."

Rodgers became an icon of the running boom when he won his hometown marathon four times from 1975 to '80—thus earning the nickname Boston Billy—as well as four consecutive New York titles from '76 to '79-Rodgers hasn't competed in a marathon since 1993, but he faithfully runs 70 miles a week and still races about 25 times a year. In '97 he set six U.S. records for 49-year-olds at distances ranging from five kilometers to the half marathon. Along with friend and rival Frank Shorter , he was inducted last month into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica , N.Y.

Outside his sport, Rodgers has traveled a rockier road. His first marriage ended in 1981; seven years later his once-successful running-wear business collapsed. He had to sell his house in Dover, Mass., to pay his debts and found himself racing to make ends meet. "It was like the 23rd-mile mark of the marathon," he says of his financial woes. "It was a bad patch."

Rodgers now earns his living as a representative of Etonic and by making promotional appearances at races across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Running Times magazine and in the past two years has written two books: Bill Rodgers ' Lifetime Running Plan and The Complete Idiots' Guide to Jogging and Running. He lives in Sherborn, Mass., near Boston , with his second wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Elise, 13, and Erika, 8. "People always ask me if the girls run," Rodgers says. "I say, 'Well, they run around a lot.' "

As for his own running, he remains interested in victories and records, but more than ever he puts in miles to stay healthy. "I don't run as fast or as far," he says. "There aren't many easy runs anymore. But I could always rely on my running. It's the closest thing to the fountain of youth, really."