76°
Opdyke was the nation’s top-ranked hammer thrower coming out of high school in Barrington, R.I., and had a solid career at Syracuse. After nearly a decade away from sports, Opdyke turned to endurance competitions. Monday’s race will be his sixth marathon, first Boston. He is running to raise money for the Connecticut Challenge. Readers can find his fundraising page online.
“I would be hard-pressed to find any similarity between the hammer throw and the marathon,’’ Opdyke said. “The physicality of what your body goes through is very different.”
Opdyke has done more than compete in the endurance arena: He also works in it. He is race director for the Revolution 3 triathlon series, which includes 13 events across the United States.
He committed to a lifestyle change in the early 2000s, when his weight soared to nearly 260 pounds. “When you’re an athlete and then you lose that after college, it can be tough,’’ Opdyke said. “You slowly get out of shape. I had to do something about that.”
A friend asked him to join her for part of the New York City Marathon in 2005. “I figured I’d run 5 miles, and I ran 15, just to keep her company,’’ he said. “I knew I had found something. After that I got hooked on triathlons.”
He served as the race director for the ITPMan Triathlon in Darien and has been directing races ever since. The Rev3 series, which is similar to the Ironman competitions, is one of the fastest-growing events in the nation.
Jon Stellwagen, who recruits athletes for the Connecticut Challenge, asked Opdyke two months ago whether he had an interest in Boston. When he learned the mission of the Challenge is to empower cancer survivors, Opdyke was quick to embrace it.
“Being an endurance athlete and seeing the growth of the ride that they put on in July, I knew it was a good organization,’’ he said. “I thought it was a lot like the charity we have at Rev3, the Ulman Cancer Fund. If I find a race and want to do it for charity, I wanted to do my due diligence. They’re helping cancer survivors get back on their feet, and that struck a chord with me.”
Opdyke ran several races in the Boston Buildup Series to prepare for Monday’s race. As a native of Rhode Island, he’s aware of the history and rewards that come with running in the world’s most famous marathon.
“I’ve done a lot of the big ones,’’ Opdyke said. “I’ve run New York, Marine Corps and Rome. Boston was the one big one I hadn’t done. I think it’s going to be a fun race.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
