It was supposed to be a surprise. The plan was for Bill Michaels to attend Friday’s inaugural induction ceremony of the Colorado Running Hall of Fame unaware he would receive a special award for his contributions to the sport.
When he insisted he couldn’t attend because of a scheduling conflict, they had to tell him why he needed to be there. Michaels got the news three weeks ago while sitting through a 12-hour chemotherapy appointment.
The impresario of Denver road racing in the 1970s and ’80s, Michaels hasn’t missed a day of running in almost 19 years despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2005, a month after running his 22nd marathon.
“This makes every IV poke that I’ve had over the last two and a half years worth it,” Michaels said after receiving his award Friday night at the Denver Athletic Club.
The Colorado Running Hall of Fame was created by the Colorado Colfax Marathon, which takes place today. Inductees included former Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter, eight- time U.S. cross country champion Pat Porter, former Adams State coach Joe Vigil, 1992 Olympic marathon bronze-medalist Lorraine Moller, four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck, former University of Colorado runner Ted Castaneda and Jon Sinclair, a top road racer of the 1980s.
Michaels, 54, smoked in college but quit after graduation and began running.
“It’s incurable and inoperable,” Michaels said. “It’s in the lining around the (right) lung, which is why they can’t remove the lung. But it’s treatable. I’ve been on and off chemo for the last two and a half years. You’ve just got to keep going.”
Michaels says his daily run is so slow it’s more like a shuffle, but he still manages to log about 30 miles per week.
“There are people who walk faster than I run,” Michaels said. “Chemo can really whack you, but on my worst chemo day, I still get out and put one foot in front of the other.”
Michaels thought he was really well-prepared for the marathon he ran just before his diagnosis, but during the race he hit a wall no one wants to confront. The experience told him it was time to see a doctor.
“At 15 miles I just died,” Michaels said. “I since then know what it means, and that’s not death.”
Longtime friend Steve Metcalf said he doesn’t know anyone who loves life as much as Michaels.
“He gets up every day and says, ‘This is a great day and I’m moving forward,”‘ Metcalf said. “He’s the biggest inspiration all of his friends have in our lives. He’s absolutely remarkable.”
The man who put on the Mile High Marathon from 1978 to 1987 and hundreds of other races now runs the Family Resource Centers, a nonprofit that helps promote self-sufficiency for 70,000 vulnerable Coloradans. He has three children – one entering college, another starting high school and an 8-year-old who is passionate about sports. Michaels helps coach his baseball team.
“I’ve got a lot to live for,” Michaels said. “My wife has been with me every step of the way, every moment. They’re all making it happen for me.”
