When Thomas Okazaki of Dallas stood just 20 marathons away from 100 for his career, he decided to reach the century mark as soon as possible.
“I had a good job situation,” the certified pharmacy technician at Irving’s Baylor Medical Center said. “My boss would let me off early whenever I needed to prepare for my marathons.”
Since September, Okazaki, a Dallas Cowboys fan who often goes by “T.O.,” has averaged four marathons per month. The March 28 Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy will be his 104th — his fourth of the month. He ran No. 100 in Fort Worth’s Cowtown Marathon on Feb. 27.
The 53-year-old reached the milestone running many of his marathons on back-to-back days.
“I find the more I run, the more momentum I have,” Okazaki said. “My body breaks down less and I recover quicker.”
His first back-to-back weekend came about four years ago when he ran in Huntsville, Texas, and in Dallas’ White Rock Marathon.
Okazaki gave up his role as president of the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers club to focus more on running. Since, the 5-foot-6 runner has lost 20 pounds in the process and now weighs 135 pounds.
“I committed myself to eating more fruits and vegetables,” he said. “A cleaner diet really helps. A lot of younger runners think they can get away with eating the wrong things and still perform as best they can, but it’s harder to do than they think.”
Okazaki also changed how he eats on the road, replacing burgers with sub sandwiches and cutting out soft drinks.
T.O., a native of Japan, has run since he was a California teen in 1972, watching Jim Ryun and Steve Prefontaine compete in the Munich Olympics. He spent most of his adulthood running 5- and 10-kilometer races before turning to marathons in 2003. Okazaki also is an ultra-marathoner, one who runs a race longer than the standard 26.2 miles.
He hopes to achieve another milestone when he runs the A2A — his first marathon victory.
“I’ve been through Ardmore many times,” Okazaki said. “I like marathons in Oklahoma. Most of them are put on by runners. (Volunteers organize the A2A.) I’ve had experiences in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. I just love the people in Oklahoma because they are so friendly.”
Better get (your popcorn) ready, because in less than 2 weeks, this T.O. is taking his show from the Arbuckles to Ardmore.
I.C. Murrell
221-6527
