Tom Meany
by Amy Duquette
In the spring of 1980, Tom Meany didn’t have enough players for his usual lunchtime basketball game,
so instead he was convinced by a co-worker to go for a run. Tom has been running ever since. He took
to running easily and few months later Tom ran his first 5K in a respectable 35:45, even with the
bacon and eggs he ate for breakfast that morning rolling around angrily in his stomach. "I paid for
that! ...and never ate breakfast on the day of a race again." After some time, and lots of training,
Tom eventually cut his 5K time down to a 17:39 personal best.
Tom soon lost his rookie status and ran his first NYC marathon. His training with Harry Murphy helped
him to prepare. He flew though the first 20 miles feeing "nervous but confident". Tom considers a
marathon to actually consist of two races. There are the first 20 miles and then the last 10K. It was
during the "second race", while running up the 59th Street Bridge, when Tom developed an awful leg
cramp. "After those miles the body can begin to rebel against you," he said. He needed to walk for
about 10 yards and then continued running and crossed the finish line at 3:30, one minute under his
projected goal.
Tom went on to run ten marathons in total. Nine of those in New York with a very strong 3:04 finish
in 1982 as his PR. He ran his first Boston marathon that same year and although he would not consider
any of the 26.2 milers fun or enjoyable, Boston stands in his memory as being particularly "horrible".
The long drive from the finish to where he needed to be for the start made for a hectic beginning. The
two-lane, black top road was crammed with over 15,000 spectators closing in tight around the runners.
To make matters worse, the smell of cigarettes and beer off of these spectators was overpowering. Not
the environment a marathoner needs to stay focused. To top it all off, the mile markers were not
correct and the finish was in a garage. And at the finish, Tom found the race officials offering soda
only to the elite runners and some water for the other ‘mortals.’ Suffice to say, one Boston was enough
for Tom.
Tom ran between 30 to 60 miles a week for about 27 years, but he believes that "miles are like money
in the bank for all runners. You’ll run out sooner or later". Unfortunately, two injuries for Tom
signified him "cashing out" the last of his miles. First there was a fall on his hip from tripping
over a pipe in the road at mile 12 during his 1987 marathon. At mile 18 the swelling set in and if it
weren’t for Clare Dougherty, who grabbed his hand at mile 25 and pulled him over the finish, he may
have not finished at all. He was out of running for eight months recovering and "...never felt comfortable
running again." The two herniated disks in his back that resulted from the fall have sent him to the ER
several times. This tragic setback, along with bone spurs in his knees effectively ended his running
career. But Tom will tell you himself, "I’d be a mean tyrant if I did not stay active". To compensate
for the loss of his running outlet, he hits the elliptical machine for about 45 minutes a day at the
YMCA. Tom also frequently lifts weights and does yoga and stretching to stay limber.
If Tom is not engaged in PPTC activities or at the gym, this Prospect Park native can be found working
as a consultant with adults who are developmentally disabled overseeing their treatment plan development
and implementation. Tom owns a consulting firm which provides crisis intervention services to victims of
traumatic stress, as well as certified trauma training to mental health professionals. He is retired
from the New York State Office of Mental Health after working for 25 years as a Psychologist and
Administrator. During his free time, Tom can be found volunteering as a lector in his church. Also, in
the months of September though mid-December he is frequently fishing on Breezy Point Beach in Queens.
Here he has access to the migration of the stripped bass and bluefish and is one of his favorite hobbies.
As bittersweet as Tom’s running experiences were, through running he found a sense of physical gratification
and sense of wellbeing. He also found that supporting organized running events, especially those in support
of charities, was especially fulfilling. Additionally, the camaraderie of his running peers who shared his
same interests and values was another aspect of his sport he could still enjoy.
Staying involved with the running community has been a great joy of Tom’s. He has been an active Board
Member since joining PPTC in 1980. In fact, the co-worker who first turned Tom on to running happened to
be Regina Cahill, a PPTC member and former president of the club. Tom, along with Michael Ring, are the
only original board members who still serve. One of his earliest memories of the club are of Bobby Fisher
succeeding Al Goldstein as President. Around the same time, the club took over hosting the Holiday Classic
race from Bishop Ford High School and NYRR gave over the hosting duties of the Turkey Trot in Prospect Park
to PPTC. These two races were combined into one, which was hosted by PPTC as the annual Turkey Trot. Tom
recalls about 2,000 runners coming to Brooklyn to run this race "back in its heyday".
Tom has always been a strong presence in the PPTC. He aided Anne Perzeszty during her time as the club
president and was given The President’s Award in 2006 for his dedication. Tom now serves as the club president
where his straightforward manner, natural leadership skills and dedication to the cause make it a natural match.
He intends to "follow Ann’s precedence and continue to move forward." He sees the club gradually doing less
consulting for other organizations so that the members can focus on running rather than hosting races. Tom’s
main concern is improving the quality of the experience for the current membership rather than recruiting more
members. Also, he will continue to improve communication between the board and the members. Tom has already made
the board more efficient by changing the number of board members from 13 to 9, which he believes will increase
its efficiency. All of the committees (PPTC currently has seven committees including race, safety, awards dinner,
clothing, membership and communication) will maintain a more formal chain of command through the committee leader.
As president, Tom wants to make it a growing tradition to encourage members to become more involved in their
club. "If you are involved," Tom says, "you’ll get more out of it". As a longtime runner, Tom knows that just
being a runner is half of the fun, being part of a strong community is the real joy.