This week on Interview Tuesday I talk to Mark Hamm of Somerset Kentucky. Mark did not take up running, well on purpose, till later in life and also started and works with Phoenix Racing - more on that below.
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc…..
My name is Mark Hamm and I will turn 47 this year which is pretty hard for me to believe! I live in Somerset, Kentucky approximately .25 miles from where I grew up. I graduated from Pulaski County High School in 1989, completed my undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Anthropology at Eastern Kentucky University in 1995 and my Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Mental Health Counseling at Western Kentucky University in 2005. I have been married to my wife, Tina, since 1991 (it’s easier than doing the math on total years at this point) and we have two wonderful daughters, Zoey and Lily.
What is your profession?
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Kentucky. My wife and I, along with my other business partner (Sandy Colyer) have owned and operated Phoenix Preferred Care for the past 20 years (again, this is hard to believe). Phoenix Preferred Care is a private outpatient behavioral health organization serving children and families in the Lake Cumberland region. We have recently expanded our business to include a 501(c) 3 charitable nonprofit corporation, Phoenix Wellness, Inc.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so?
Interesting question! My doctor, and now good friend, Joe Weigel was treating me for a variety of ailments while I was in my early thirties. My cholesterol was creeping up, my weight was up (can’t say that this one was a creeping type issue) and I routinely complained of a number of back and knee related pains. During one particular visit, after reviewing my labs and listening to my complaints, Dr. Weigel looked at me and asked so diplomatically, “Just how big a boy are you planning on being?” He went on to state, “Your biggest issue is that you’re fat, or more precisely obese”. After hitting me with this sledgehammer, he went on to say, “I can do a little bit to help you by prescribing medication to treat your symptoms/issues. However, you can do a lot just by eating better (mostly meaning less I think) and exercising more”. I went home mad as heck! I was embarrassed and I vowed I was never going back to that jerk again! However, as I was getting ready the next morning, I took a real look at myself in the mirror and realized, (much to my chagrin) that he was absolutely right! So, I started running and walking (mostly walking) that week. It was a painfully slow process for the first few months, but I worked into running 3-4 miles several days per week. Eventually I was introduced to our local running group and after they “broke the new guy in” (which I think meant that they raced every workout for a week!)for several runs, I settled into training and racing with them.
How long have you been running?
I have been running for the last twelve years.
Did you participate in any other sports over the years?
I loved sports growing up and played Basketball, Football and Baseball at different levels of grade school and high school.
Did you run in grade school, High School or College?
The only reason I ever ran prior to being an adult was if I was as punishment for some infraction in one of the other sports I mentioned previously. I honestly could not fathom why anyone would choose to run willingly just to be running!
So we get an idea of where you have been with running can you share your PR’s for: 5K, 10K marathon and any other distance you may have run in the past.
- 5K 18:06
- 10K 38:48
- 10 mile 63:20
- 1/2 marathon 1:25:15
- Marathon 3:18:20
What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them?
My most memorable race was running the Rhodes City 10K with local running legend Jeff Parmelee. My goal was to break the 40 minute mark and Jeff had agreed to pace me. I went out way too fast despite Jeff trying to reign me in and around the 3 mile mark I was hurting! I slowed a bit and Jeff looked back and said something encouraging (I have no idea what). I told him to go on and slowed a bit more trying to recover. As he pulled away, I resolved to suck it up and keep him in sight. I lost track of time, where I was on the course and really just about everything else. My only thought was to keep him in sight and try to close the gap between us. I will never forget the feeling of making the last turn, seeing the finish line and realizing that not only was I going to go below 40 minutes, but I had a real shot of going below 39! I absolutely emptied the tank and finished at 38:48. I don’t think I’ve ever hurt as bad during a race or felt so good after!
What is your favorite distance to run and race?
I always love the Papa John’s Ten Miler in Louisville. I love the ten mile distance and that course has a little of everything! Ten miles is long enough that you cannot cheat the training and be competitive but you can still race it “all out” without needing to recover for the next month. That particular race is special in that it is a large venue (usually 7-10 thousand people), starts with a long flat 3.0 mile stretch, enters a tough 2 plus mile hill section at mile 3, has a long flat 4 mile ending and finishes in Papa John’s stadium with everyone on the Jumbo Tron.
Can you share some about your work with Phoenix Racing – what it is and what is your role with the group?
The concept of Phoenix Racing was really an outgrowth of our behavioral health work through Phoenix Preferred Care. We recognized that a large percentage of the children we saw who were experiencing behavioral health issues were not eating, sleeping or exercising appropriately. We found that addressing these issues virtually eliminated behavioral concerns for many of the children.
Running was a great vehicle for addressing these core health issues as it is a relatively inexpensive sport, requires little specialized equipment, lends itself to talking about eating and sleeping in a natural rather than clinical manner and allowed us to teach social skills via the team process. We liked the fact that there are no politics in running (you either put in the work and run the time or you don’t) and that there a basically no negative side effects.
Our race team motto is “There is no strength without struggle”. They have to earn everything in the program (though we do provide running shoes, shirts, shorts for training if needed). They must participate in community service activities, go through an intensive 8 week training program and complete their first race before they receive their Phoenix Race Team shirt and are official members of Phoenix Racing.
We have been pleasantly surprised that by completing this process kids gain self-confidence, learn how to set and achieve goals and learn how to be an engaged member of a team. As children have gained confidence and learned these skills, their attendance and grades at school have improved and complaints about their behavior have disappeared! What has been more surprising is how much the running community has supported our kids. They cheer them on at races, keep track of their times and have even abandoned their own race goals to stop and run with kids they see struggling. The response and engagement from parents has been tremendous as well. I have had parents tearfully tell me, “That was the first time I have ever seen anyone cheer for my child”. Interestingly, we have had numerous parents (sometimes sheepishly) ask, “Can I come out and run with you all?” and have joined the Team.
Do you have any long-range plans?
We absolutely have long range plans! We have developed Phoenix Wellness, Inc. which is the 501(c) 3 charitable nonprofit side of Phoenix Preferred Care to address health from a holistic perspective. Phoenix Racing is one vehicle we are utilizing under this umbrella to teach the core concepts of wellness to children and families.
More specifically though, Phoenix Racing is on site at several local schools and we have approximately 50 children of various ages participating. Our goal is to have a Phoenix Racing Team at every local school in the next two years and we are eagerly anticipating having over 100 children involved at any given time. Phoenix Racing has tailored its programming to fit elite level performers as well as those who have special needs.
We have been fortunate in that 5 former Phoenix Race Team members have gone on to run Cross Country/Track and Baseball at the collegiate level. We currently have 5 seniors Phoenix Race Team members who have signed scholarships to run at the collegiate level. We hope to expand Phoenix Racing to include bringing these runners back to the local area to mentor our younger runners.
Phoenix Racing is also excited to be partnering with local running legend Daniel Roberts to provide the KY Elite Distance Running Camp, July 12-14, 2018. We feel that the Lake Cumberland region can and should produce elite runners able to compete regionally, statewide and even nationally every year. The camp will be led by Daniel Roberts who is a former high school state cross country champion and a former Sun Belt Conference Champion cross country runner for Western Kentucky University and will brings together other former/current elite runners and professionals across multiple health disciplines to teach young runners the process for becoming elite performers.
What do you like best about living and running in KY?
The scenery and terrain combined with the camaraderie and support of our local running community. Kentucky is beautiful and being outside when the sun comes up or when the seasons change is almost a spiritual experience for me. I also love the positive nature of the running community. I have honestly never met a negative or mean spirited runner!
What do you struggle with most with regards to running?
When I first started running, I was obsessed with training plans, logging miles and chasing new PR’s. It was truly a love/hate relationship. I struggled with the roller coaster of emotions related to training hard with a specific goal in mind, being anxious before a race and then being frustrated if I did not perform in the manner I thought I should.
However, my perspective has changed dramatically since I was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia in 2015! I had been struggling with extreme fatigue and difficulty breathing while training for the Kentucky Derby Marathon. Over the course of the 16 weeks prior to the marathon my mileage and training effort increased, but I was increasingly frustrated as my performance actually appeared to be declining. Still, I was in great shape overall and felt like I was truly prepared to hammer the race. On race day, I ran through the first half of the marathon in 1:31 and was on target for hitting my race goal. However, after coming out of the park, I simply could not breathe. I had to walk off the course, find an ambulance and get some O2! I was devastated! I felt like I had let myself and everyone that had to put up with me through training down. But, this proved to be something that I just could not push through as my body would not comply.
This started a very frustrating, humbling and scary time in my life. I spent several months trying to figure out what was wrong. I was tested for asthma, completed several treadmill stress tests and it was even suggested that this could be a mental block. Ultimately, it was determined that I had Severe Aplastic Anemia (which is better described as Bone Marrow Failure). Our bone marrow is responsible for generating all three of our blood cell lines including Platelets, White Blood Cells and Red Blood Cells. It now made perfect sense that I was struggling to breathe as I did not have any Red Blood Cells transporting oxygen through my system! Turns out having a steady supply of oxygen is a pretty important variable for cardiovascular exercise. Since I didn’t have Platelets or White Blood Cells either, it was recommended that I forego a career in juggling chain saws or be around people who are ill in any way. That bit about not being around ill people was another punch in the gut as I am trained as a Counselor and have spent most of my career working with children. As most people are probably, children are essentially germ factories and my medical team forbade me from being around these little people. So, I was unable to run and unable to participate in my chosen profession.
To say I was adrift, would be an understatement. There is no cure for Severe Aplastic Anemia other than a very risky bone marrow transplant. So, I struggled with having hope that I could have the life that I wanted and I felt that two of the things that defined me as a person had been arbitrarily taken away! However, the proverbial silver lining in this process is that I learned how my (phenomenal) support network and the discipline that running imposes both prepared me mentally to handle this challenge. My wife, family, business partner and the running community were always there with words of encouragement and support. They motivated me to continue to push to improve and to always have a positive outlook. While I am by nature pretty independent, I can honestly say, I would not be where I am without this community of support.
I have given you a lengthy background to say that after a brief (albeit at times recurring) personal pity party in which I lamented where I was with running and my career, I no longer have any struggles with running! My view of the world and my priorities have changed. I now recognize what a blessing it is to simply be able to be out there running. I’m still competitive and I’ll pass you on the race course if I can, but have come to realize it is a joy to be able to work, run, sweat and be in the company of tremendous people. These are the most important things running has to offer, but before Severe Aplastic Anemia, I think I took them for granted!
What do you see as a trend in running?
I do not know that I am involved enough in the racing scene right now to make an educated statement on this topic. But, it seems that there has been a large increase in the number of females running over the past few years which is great to see. When I started running there were very few women involved locally. Now, it appears that females outnumber males by a fair margin.
I would also say that locally, the 5K market seems pretty saturated. Ten to twelve years ago, there was only one or two local races while there seems to be one every weekend now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it does mean that for a race to be successful it MUST be professionally done, be tied to a good cause or have a particular niche.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be?
- There is no strength without struggle! You may feel that you have struggled enough to be the Hulk at some point, but in that struggle is where growth occurs. Keep putting one foot in front of the other! Keep moving forward.
- Do what you can do today, do it really well and be happy that you can do it! You may be limited to walking due to injury or some other issue. Be a great walker and realize that it is a blessing to be able to walk when there are so many who cannot!
- Enjoy the process and the results will come. Running, like life, is more about the journey than the destination. Enjoy the discipline gained from training, the camaraderie felt on long runs with others, the unique sunrises (or sunsets for you late day runners) as this is what keeps us engaged in a difficult sport and will ultimately help us achieve the goals we set.
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share?
You can find us on Facebook at Phoenix Wellness, McCreary Phoenix Racing and Mud, Mayhem and Fun.
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