After languishing on the bench for the freshman high school football team, then failing to make the freshman basketball team...

Gerry Clapper laced up his basketball sneakers in 1975 once more and found the sport, running, that would ultimately bring him track and cross country glory, at Bucksport High School and the University of Maine. Today, he has added a record 9f excellence spanning more than 20 years at road races throughout the country that few runners in Maine history can match.

In 93 foot races on the roads of Maine and elsewhere in the country, starting in 1978 and continuing through 1999, Gerry was 1st to the tape in a truly awe inspiring 62 of those competitions. Twice, in 1988, he was just seconds short of Olympic trials qualification for both 5K and l0K.

All of this would hardly have seemed likely to the novice Gerry Clapper, clad in those basketball sneakers, running what was actually a very respectable 5:25 mile in his first indoor track meet. He remembers being told he shouldn't be "discouraged" with his performance, that the time he posted was quite credible for a freshman. It didn't do much, however, to erase the sting from having Orono ace Steve Dexter, who had run a 4:25, almost lap him twice!

Born on June 21,1961, the seventh of twelve children, Gerry was the first in his family "to venture," as he puts it, into long distance running. He credits his high school coach, Anne Norton, who was herself quite new to coaching when Gerry started with helping him to break in right. "What made her a good coach was that she brought together the right mix of teaching how to work hard to achieve goals while also stressing the benefits of running, not just now, but all through life." He remembers going to the Rollie Dyer Memorial Race in Portland with Anne and her husband Steve, noted University of Maine geology professor and a fine recreational runner himself who became "Secret Coach," and really finding himself fired up about the sport. He adds, "I met Dick Goodie for the first time and just in that short meeting, Dick's enthusiasm for the sport had me hooked."

Highlights of Gerry's stellar high school career at Bucksport, include winning the State Class B Cross Country Championship in his senior year, and his 9:20 performance to win the 2-Mile State Championship in spring track. He also won the 2-Mile State Championship for indoor track his junior year.

But victories have never seemed to impress Gerry nearly as much as running to his fullest potential, even if that means finishing fifth. "The one race that I feel most proud of came at the New England Championships my junior year," he recalls. Held in M0ntPelier, Vermont, the race was viewed by his parents, a brother and a sister. The week before, at the State Championships, Gerry had finished 4th in the Class B meet and was tied for 7th for best time overall. Now, one day before the New Englands, "we walked the course and realized, with all the rain, it was going to be slippery and muddy in spots. The course was on a golf course on the side of a mountain. So that night we went out to get some new racing shoes that had traction. I bought a pair of the Nike Oregon waffle running shoes, green and yellow ones I'm sure many runners will remember. Well, the next day they were my magic shoes.. .1 ran probably the best race of my high school career.
After my signature slow start I kept picking up steam as I was passing people and finished in 5th place overall and was 2nd Maine runner."

Gerry went to the University of Maine at Orono where he established himself as one of the greatest runners in school history in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. He recalls enjoying the camaraderie of a close-knit cross country team and an indoor track performance that "stands out as my best." Gerry won the 2-Mile at Easterns in a personal best of 8:51.7, beating two outstanding Providence College runners in the final stages of the race. "That was one of the few races I actually had a decent kick. I'm definitely not known for my kick," he recalls. Gerry credits coach Jim Ballinger with further instilling in him the importance of running for running's sake. "Jim didn't overwork us; in fact, some thought he should have worked us harder. He hated to see us get injured."

On the roads, Gerry has held several course records for well-respected races in Maine, including 14:24 for the Terry Fox 5-K, 24:22 for the Bangor Labor Day 5-Mile Race, and 50:48 for the 10-Mile Tour du Lac in his hometown of Bucksport, among others. Some of his records still stand, 15 to 20 years after he set his marks.

Thinking back to early in his road racing career he considers the Gasping Gobbler 10- K in Augusta as his favorite race - and why not, he won the race the first seven times it was held! Yet, when he recalls the races there he treasures, the favorite ones involve memorable battles, such as his first visit on the course. "In 1979, when I was a college freshman, some youngster took off and just disappeared. Another runner and I battled back and forth for the first three miles. I finally pulled away from him going up one of the big hills. At this point I didn't think there was a chance of catching the lead runner, but since I didn't want the third guy to catch me 1 kept pushing. On a long gradual hill the leader was coming back to me fast. Well, hang on he did. it was all I could do to hold him off as I won by 2 seconds in 32:06. It turns out that runner was the great high school runner, Colin Peddie." In the years that followed Gerry remembers "being pushed" to another course record by Chris Bovie, and then again, by Stan Bickford, setting his lowest course record, at 30:29.

After moving to Maryland, to pursue professional work in mathematics and software development, Gerry has come to regard the nationally-popular Cherry Blossom lOemiler in Washington, D.C. as another great favorite. He ran his first one in 1986 "and ran a great time of 48:45. This only got me 22nd place. Back then there were no Kenyans and only a few international guys. The rest of the guys ahead of me were Americans. We were very deep in the 1980s," he says.

Another memorable race for Gerry, where "I ran one of my best races ever," came at the Great Pumpkin l0-K race in Saco in 1987. Again, winning isn't what truly determines what is most satisfying in running and racing for Gerry. "Race conditions were ideal and Colin Peddie and I had quite a battle going, back and forth. In the last mile Colin was able to pull away from me, but I still hung on for a PR, at the time, of 29: 17. Colin ran 29:08.1 just remember feeling so strong in that race, the way you wished you felt in every race." Gerry's personal bests on the track include: 800 - 1:58.4; Mile - 4:09.5; 2-Mile - 8:51.7; 3000 - 8:09.9; 5000 - 13:55; and 10,000 -28:49. On the roads, his PRs read: 5K - 14:14; l0K - 29:15; 10-Mile - 48:45; 13.1 - Mile - 1:06:01; and Marathon - 2:30:53.

Any account that attempts to credit all the factors that made Gerry Clapper the great runner he is would be remiss if it didn't mention the support he receives from his family. One race director notes, "We've all heard of the Von Trapp Family Singers. . . well, foot races in Maine enjoy and respect the participation of the Clapper Family Runners of Bucksport." Gerry was the first in the family to run the distance, but not the first to actually start running; older sister Barbara ran sprints before he started, then Gerry ran and his younger siblings and parents followed. Many of them have demonstrated great talent for the sport (joined in the family, today, by spouses!). Leona, of course, was enshrined in the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 1992. Says Gerry of his mom, "She was a great age group runner while in her 50s, but that isn't why she was inducted into the hall of fame. She is one tough lady! Bearing and raising 12 kids is tough enough by itself, but when she started running, she ran on guts because her biomechanics were not good. She pronated so hard she would crush the inside of her shoes very quickly. This toughness is part of why she was inducted, but probably a stronger factor was that she was considered 'the Mother of Maine Running,' at least in central Maine. She always encouraged you if you were anywhere near her in a race, even if you were her direct competition." Her penchant for hugging a person and offering encouraging words to a disappointed runner, or being genuinely excited for someone who was elated with a performance, even if she herself was feeling disappointment, is something her son very much admires.

Gerry is deeply appreciative to his dad for his dedication in recording all the family members' races and times, year after year. Gerry's siblings had all taken up the sport, during their high school years, before his parents began. He recalls, "To have your parents do something that you were doing is a pretty cool thing. Running made us closer as a family. Sometimes there were as many as six of us kids plus our parents in a road race. My parents got very excited while we ran competitively in school and tried to come to as many of our races as possible." Today, Gerry is grateful the same ethic is strongly present in his own family. "I have a beautiful and healthy family...and that is the most important thing to me. My wife, Caskie, was an excellent sprinter in high school and college and continues to run to keep in shape and to help keep the stress level down. My kids are currently 10, 7 and 4, and I take my kids to a weekly I-mile fun run during the summer," he says, noting that they also doing quite a bit of running playing soccer.

Creator, in 1994, of a cross country race held at a winery (prizes include wine as well as loaves of different varieties of banana bread, the latter of which he himself makes!), Gerry also serves as treasurer and a member of the board of directors for his running club, the Howard County Striders in Maryland. He and his wife have also coached track and cross country at a local school. Asked what being a standout runner has meant in his life, Gerry responded, "Being a standout runner has helped me to have more confidence in myself. Because I'm very introverted, it has also helped me socially, because talking about running comes easy for me. Running has been an important part of my life and I hope that I can continue to a ripe old age. But even if injury should end my running I plan to continue to be involved and give something back to the sport."Based on his running and academic records, he was awarded a track scholarship to the Pennsylvania State Univ. 1951-55.

BS and MS in Electrical Engineering (‘55 and ‘57)
440 best 47.1
880 best 1:53
Assistant Cross-Country coach (1956-57)

Following college, Lloyd competed in 5 and 10 mile road races winning frequently. He also ran a dog sled team and was the World Sled Dog Racing Champion in 1972—winning all 8 of 8 races he entered.

He joined the North Medford Club in 1973 and was part of the National Masters Cross-Country Championship team race run at Van Cortland Park, NY. While with NMC, he set a national age group record in the one-hour run. In 1983, at age 50, Lloyd returned to track running and won the National Masters 2 mile championship in 10:09 which still stands as the 50+ national indoor record. Lloyd was ranked third in the nation at age 50 with his 10K time of 33:13 and 5K time of 16:13.

While teaching at the University of Southern Maine, Lloyd served as Head Cross-Country Coach for two years. At age 55, while working for General Electric, Lloyd won the National Corporate Championship in both the 5K (17:20) and 10K (37:48) held at Stanford University in CA.

At age 69 in 2002, Lloyd won the National 5K Outdoor Championship (65-69) by over half a lap in 19:12. In the same meet, he also broke the National 800 meter age group record with a time of 2:30. Earlier in 2002, Lloyd had set a new national and world indoor 2 mile age group (69) record of 12:09 at Bowdoin College. Also at age 69, he broke all of the 60-69 age group records from 400 meters through 2 miles in the MECTA championship meets.

Lloyd won the National Indoor 3K Championship in 2003 (at age 70) setting a new national record of 11:08. In the same meet he also defeated “The Great” Earl Fee to win the National Indoor Mile Championship (70+) in 5:36.

Lloyd was elected “Runner of the Year” by the Maine Track Club in 2002, and has won the annual age group award on three occasions with MTC.

Lloyd was elected to the New England 65+ Runners Club Hall of Fame in 2003, (but his greatest victory was convincing Susan to marry him).