Men’s 60-69 Masters Team Manager Bruce Kirschner emailed a series of questions to Doug. Below are Doug’s responses.
Perhaps no one on the BRR Men’s 60+ racing team has enjoyed as much long-term notoriety as Greeley’s Doug Bell. He just turned 70 years old on November 20 and entered a new age group as well. Doug is well known nationally as one of America’s very best competitive age-group runners. The Men’s 60+ team will certainly miss him and his great spirit, but we now wish him the best on the BRR Men’s 70+ team. USA Track & Field national class 70–74 competitors, watch out!
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Mankato, Minnesota and spent my first 22 years living there.
When did you start running and why?
I ran some in 7th and 8th grade. I set the junior high school record for the 600-yard run/ walk. I also did the 500-yard run in junior high track and was quite successful. By 9th grade, I focused on football, basketball, and baseball, and that continued through high school. My return to running came after being cut from the college basketball team and after getting tired of the lousy refereeing in college intramural sports. A friend asked me to be on his college intramural track team. I finished right behind a red-shirted cross-country runner in the mile. I figured, “If that guy can run college cross-country, so can I.” I went out for the Mankato State cross-country team that next fall and my long running career began.
What brought you to Colorado and how did you end up in Greeley?
Right after college, I moved to California so I could spend a winter where it wasn’t 30 degrees below zero. I got fired from a CPA firm and by that time I also realized I was too far from Minnesota. So I was off to Colorado, came to Greeley to study at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), and become a teacher/coach.
What did you do for a living?
I had a very short career as an accountant. I was an office manager and jack-of-all-trades at a health club in Greeley for seven and a half years. Then, for the last 30 years, I owned a running store in Greeley, which I sold in 2015.
Who have you coached?
I’ve coached kids off and on at Greeley Central High School and UNC for about 35 years. The period from 1985 through 1991 was my longest steady stretch at Greeley Central. Even this winter I’m running with and coaching six to eight Central boys. My biggest highlight was coaching Pat Dolan, who won state cross country in 1987.
What is your favorite race?
The Carlsbad 5000 in Carlsbad, California. In my first year there in 1991 I won the Master’s race. It’s like the Bolder Boulder in terms of organization and elite runners. The elites run last, so you get to watch them. It’s a fast course with a gorgeous ocean view. What’s not to like? I was returning as the defending Master’s champ my second year at Carlsbad. Now at age 41, I was actually running better than the year before. So the plan was to win again there in USATF 10K Men’s 60+ National Champions, April 2017, in Dedham, MA. The day before the race I heard that Henry Rono and Wilson Waigwa, the great Kenyan runners were also going to be racing. I had just raced Henry in the Tulsa 5K and he beat me by about 30 seconds. Wilson is my exact age and the previous year at Carlsbad, at age 40, he had run 13:56 in the elite race. My plan to win again wasn’t looking too promising. I decided to go out hard and hang with those guys as long as possible. Hopefully, they would help me run a super-fast 5K time. I hit the first mile in 4:35 and to my surprise, I was in the lead. Running like a scared rabbit I hit two miles in 9:28 and was still in the lead. I then won my second Carlsbad 5000 masters in a row. It was awesome! The newspaper write-up the next day was perfect. The author wrote that he originally didn’t think Doug Bell was even good enough to carry Henry’s and Wilson’s bags, less beat them in a race. I went home a very happy man.
What is your favorite distance and times?
The 5000 meters (3.1 miles) has always been my favorite distance. I was never fast enough for the mile and since I weighed 150–155 pounds at my peak in running, maybe I was just a little heavy for the 10K and up? At one time I held the national 5K Master’s record at 14:36 and the 25K national Master’s record at 1:21:55. The Fontana 5000 in California is another one of my favorite races. It’s point-to-point and has a slight downhill. I ran 13:56 on that course in 1992.
What are your thoughts about serving on the BRR Men’s 60–69 team?
Joining the BRR team has been incredible! Trying to win as a team with wonderful teammates, who I only wanted to beat in past years, has been fabulous. Competing against teams like the Atlanta Track Club has brought me new enthusiasm and excitement. Traveling to some excellent races that I would have never thought about going to is terrific. Racing and winning mostly with Kyle Hubbart, Dan Spale, and George Braun in 2017 make up some of my best memories.
What are your thoughts about joining the BRR 70–79 team?
I’m very excited to race with a new group of guys, but I’m concerned that the USATF Grand Prix is on shaky ground. I hope they can pull things together in 2021.
What are some of your running goals now?
My back gives me a little trouble, so shorter races like the mile need to be my focus. The American road mile record is 5:43. I’m very capable of running that fast. The track record is 5:35. That could be out of my reach(?). I love doing track intervals. My goal for the last 30 years has been to just run fast times and have fun doing it. That will continue!
What’s it like working with the homeless?
I sold my store in 2015, but I can’t find the word “retire” in the Bible. So with that I work with a small group that feeds people two to three days a week. We get about 40 people at each meal. My job is to take attendance and talk with the guests. They don’t want me cooking! I get to know the homeless people. They aren’t much different than any other group of people. Many have come from terrible family situations. Many have gotten addicted to alcohol. A few of their addictions are even worse. I love what I do! I try to give people hope and encourage them that they can change. In doing this, God has given me amazing peace and joy.
What’s it like to be in the Master’s Hall of Fame with USATF and the Colorado Hall of Fame?
In 1986 I won the Denver Marathon. I was on TV that night and on the front page of the newspapers the next morning, I was mobbed by people at the health club in Greeley. It was crazy for the first two days. By Day Four the insane attention was over and I was out doing a 10-mile run. My thought was: “That didn’t last that long.” My next thought was: “I sure do love to run” and I picked up the pace. That’s how I feel about the Hall of Fame honors. They are a short moment in time. I am very honored, but if they didn’t happen it wouldn’t make any difference. I just love to run!
