Gates senior runner Bruce Rychwalski, 70, received the USA Track & Field (USATF) 2019 Phidippides Award on March 2. The award is named for the runner that legendarily ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens with news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 BC. Rychwalski earned the Gold Phidippides Award for outstanding performance and endurance in long-distance running.
To celebrate his 70th birthday in 2019, Rychwalski ran in and completed 55 5K races.
Since experiencing a life-threatening Ventricular Tachycardia and being diagnosed in April 2011 with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a genetic heart muscle disease, Rychwalski has run in and completed 375 5K races.
Rychwalski is a member of the Greater Rochester Track Club (GRTC) and USATF. He is also a member of Total Sports Experience in Gates. Rychwalski is the Coach of The Lionhearted Team for the upcoming Rochester Heart Walk & Run scheduled for Saturday, April 18. He welcomes fellow runners to join his team by going to www.RochesterHeartWalkRun.org.
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