Vanio to run marathon, celebrate anniversary

May 20--TRAVERSE CITY -- Saturday's 26.2-mile Bayshore Marathon will be more than a race for Ohio'sRick Vanio.

It will be the start of a celebration.

Vanio, and his wife Donna, mark their 28th anniversary on that day. And to honor the occasion, Vanio plans to surprise his wife at the finish line by carrying a large sign that reads "Happy 26 + 2 = 28th Anniversary. I Love You Donna Marie!!"

"Hopefully, one of my daughters (Mikala) will be able to hand it to me as I enter the finish area," he said. "The numbers and the day of the race came together for this one."

For Vanio, this will be his 11th marathon, but his first Bayshore.

"This is a late in life thing," he said of marathon running. "I didn't start until I was 47, four years ago."

Vanio, who said heart disease runs in his family, works for Progressive Insurance. When the company built a fitness facility in 1994, Vanio admitted he had "no excuses" so he started working out. And then he got inspired.

"You're watching these people do this stuff (run marathons) and you think, 'Can I do it?" he asked. "I've been a recreational runner for years, but could I challenge myself to do this?"

In 2010, he did. That year he ran a half marathon in June and followed it up with a full marathon in September.

"It took off from there," he said.

Vanio, who resides in Madison, Ohio, acknowledges he's not a "speedster." He's run four of his 10 marathons in under four hours. His personal best is a 3:48, which he ran in 2011 in the Myrtle Beach Marathon. In 2012, he competed in the Goofy Challenge -- running a half-marathon on a Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.

His interest in the Bayshore was piqued by a colleague.

"A guy I work with, who is more of an elite runner, ran it years ago and he was telling me about what a good event it is," Vanio said. "Then I started reading the reviews online. It gets tremendous reviews."

The Vanios also happened to vacation here last year. That may have sealed the deal.

"We loved it," he said.

Vanio said training "has gone really well." He did a 20-miler two weeks ago and is tapering down for Saturday's race.

The weather looks ideal, too, with plenty of sunshine and a high reaching 72 later in the day.

"It looks fantastic," Vanio said. "This is what gets you pumped up."

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