Bruce Ellis was one of Maine's greatest long distance runners of the 1980's and certainly one of the fastest marathoners of all time from the state of Maine. He was one of only a few Maine runners to have run in the Olympic trials marathon which he did in 1988, finishing 29th in 2:23:02 at Jersey City, New Jersey.

Born Feb. 21, 1952, Ellis was a native of Lawrence, MA, and never even gave serious thought about trying out for sports like football or basketball in high school. He was short and weighed just 92 pounds. "Running was a last resort," Ellis said in an interview in early 1989. Starting running in 1965, he followed in the footsteps of two older brothers who had been excellent runners. "I finished last in every race in my first year of running."

It was during college at Central Connecticut State where Ellis first took to road racing. As a college student in 1972, he entered the hilly Connecticut Marathon in Middletown and turned in a respectable time of 2:38:05. He had hoped to qualify for the Olympic trails that year, but that never happened. He had bad luck at Boston in April and came up with blood blisters and finished a disappointing 3:09:10.

After living in Exeter, N.H. for eight years, he moved to Sheepscot Village in Newcastle in 1987 and began running in Maine road races. He had his own real estate appraisal business, which he called Marathon Appraisals. He even ordered license plates that read, "Run 26.2." His greatest assets were his great physical and mental strength, according to his wife, Nancy, an excellent marathoner herself. Ellis, who had a degree in physical education, was a six-footer, weighed 148 and had great strength. He could bench-press 250 pounds. His idols were Jim Ryun and Geoff Smith. "He was a very hard worker. He trained hard and loved it," said Nancy. Ellis got his inspiration from "Jesus, Terry Fox, and my fellow runners," she remembers him saying.
"I just love to run," Ellis said in a 1989 interview. "I simply, purely, love to run. Running to me is just like putting your pants on in the morning. Its something that you do every day."

Ellis would run between 110 and 150 miles a week on the hilly roads in Newcastle, Sheepscot, and Alna, and he even had a 26.2 mile course laid out which he ran in around 2:41, which, for him, was a comfortable training pace. His favorite racing distance was between the half-marathon and marathon. In 1983, when he was 31, he won the Cape Cod Marathon in 2:26:27, the second fastest time ever run on that course.

Very quickly he became the top runner in Maine. He ran his first of three sub 2:20 marathons at Sugarloaf in 1986, clocking 2:18:37, a course record that holds to this day. That also happened to be the second fastest marathon ever run in Maine. In 1988, he won the Portland Boys Club 5-Miler in 24:17, beating talented Paul Hammond. He won the Schoodic Point 15K, his favorite race, three times and set the current course record of 46:38. He also won the Casco Bay Marathon in 2:21:04, just 48 seconds off the course record, and he won the Maine Coast Marathon in 1988 in 2:25:03. In 1987, Ellis was named Maine Runner of the Year.

His greatest races included the Twin Cities Marathon in 1986 where he ran a PR of 2:17:54, the Schoodic Point 15K, and the 1986 Sugarloaf Marathon when he ran 2:18:37. His third fastest marathon was 2:19:06 in Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota, 1987. He broke 2:20 three times over his 24 year career during which he completed 23 marathons.

He loved the Sugarloaf Marathon course and everyone involved and the wonder­ful scenery," said his wife. "It was so appropriate he broke 2:20 there. He was elated." But his time was not quite fast enough to qualify Ellis for the Olympic trails, so he had to make another attempt. And that was at the Twin Cities Marathon in October 1986, where he came through with his PR of 2:17:54.

Some of Ellis's best times were: 30:08 for 10K (Boston Milk Run, 1989); 24:17 in the Portland Boys Club, 1988; 50:30 for 10 miles (ten-mile split at the New Bedford Half-Marathon, 1989); 46:38 for 15K (Schoodic Point, 1986; 1:07:32 half-marathon (New Bedford, 1989); and 2:17:54 marathon at Twin Cities, Minnesota, 1986.

Over the years he ran for several clubs including Winners' Circle, Seacoast Athletic Club (which he founded), the Maine Track Club, and the Central Maine Striders.

His long-term goals included being a successful masters runner. "He actually was looking forward to turning 40 and entering a new challenge in his running career," said Nancy.

But Ellis never reached age 40. On April 15, 1989, just a few days before he planned to run in the Boston Marathon, he was at his parents home in Derry, New Hampshire. While sitting on a couch talking to his mother he suddenly collapsed and died of heart failure. He was 37. The Maine running community never found out just how good he might have become. They had lost a friend and idol.