TSR Runner of the Week-Bob Luther

By: Kayla Dodd


Congratulations to TSR Runner of the Week Bob Luther! He has consistently run for fitness since his high school days, but never ran a race until six years ago. His first race was the 2011 Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH. Bob said, “I signed up just 2 weeks before race day after some serious peer pressure from a friend. It was a grinder, but we ran together step for step and somehow dipped under 4 hours, crossing the finish line at 3:59:26.”

Ever since his first race, Bob has given it all he has got! When asked what motivates him to run he said, “I enjoy the process of training and racing to find my full potential as a runner. Each course and distance is a challenge that draws me a little further down the rabbit hole of the sport.” His current 5k PR is 18:46,  and his 15-miler PR is 1:43, which he did at the Charleston Distance run and he holds a 3:19 Marathon PR! Year after year, training run after training run, he continues to crush his goals!  

One of the coolest things he has seen on a race was encountering 26 turtles on the trail during a spring run of the Kanawha Trace. Bob is currently working towards transitioning from the trail back to the road for a marathon PR this fall. His dream race that he wants to participate in is the Western States 100, which runs from Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA.

His favorite running/motivational quote is, “No one is immune to the pleasure of improvement.” He also has another quote he loves: “There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Weather is almost never a valid excuse to cancel a run!

His best experience from running has been being able to explore new places while on runs! “Running has become a way for me to explore some of the best parts of West Virginia. Long trail runs on the Kanawha Trace, the Seneca Creek Backcountry, and Dolly Sods Wilderness let me access and enjoy some of the most beautiful parts of the Mountain State.”

Here are some of his favorite tips and running gear that he uses! His favorite brand of running shoes are the New Balance Leadville for long trail runs and the New Balance Vazee Summit for the shorter stuff. His favorite piece of running gear is his hat. “I always have to have my hat. It keeps the sun from burning through my thinning hair and keeps the sweat out of my eyes.” His favorite race is The West Virginia Trilogy on Spruce Knob. This is a three day stage race consisting of: Day One 50 Kilometers – Day Two 50 Miles – Day Three 13.1 Miles in the Seneca Backcountry near Circleville, WV. 

His farthest run to date has been 100 miles at the Massanutten Trail Run in Virginia (once) and the Bighorn 100, in Dayton, WY (twice). That’s A LOT of running!!!!!!!!!

When asked what advice he would give to a beginner runner he said to run consistently and mostly easy.  “There is so much out there in print or on the Internet with competing ideas on training, but nothing works without consistency.”

Running has had a huge impact on Bob’s life. He has made a number of friends through running that he would have not otherwise met. “I would never have known some of my new friends and running partners if not for running local races and group runs with the Kanawha Trace Trail Running Club. There are some incredible people in the Tri-State running community.” Congrats to Bob on all of his running accomplishments, Team TSR will see you at the finish line! 

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