Russell Bradley
He was fearless.

For years, Carlton Mendell, while running in his 70's, had no competition in his age bracket. That is, until Russ Bradley came along.

It was in 1966 at the age of 42 that Bradley took up running after reading about the tremendous health benefits of aerobics in a book by that title, authored by Kenneth Cooper. He started running at the local high school track and gradually he increased his distance. He rarely exceeded two or three miles, and because he was timid about running on the roads he never ventured off the track for several years.

Bradley never entertained thoughts of participating in road races until 1979. His first race was the 1979 Father's Day run at Cheverus, which turned out to be a disaster in the 92 degree heat. He swore he'd never run another race, but decided to give it another try in 1981 in the April Amble. He ran four races that year. By 1984, he was running 32 races a year and would average about 24 a year over his remaining years of racing.

Bradley, of Cape Elizabeth, grew up in Ticonderoga, New York, where he played football and basketball. He went to the University of Maine in 1941 but his college experience was interrupted by WWII whereafter he returned to UMO to graduate in 1948. He played no sports while at Maine.

Although Bradley started running competitively in 1981, it wasn't until he retired at the end of 1989 that he made a commitment to running for one year. "My goal was to run every day and endeavor to reach my full potential. I only missed three days and managed to log more than 2100 miles," he said.

In 1990, at age 66, probably his best year of running, he competed in 26 races and set 17 course records and four PR's. Those PR's included the Fore River Half Marathon in 1:35:58; Bowdoin 10 Miler in 72:38; the Sugarloaf 15K in 66:43; and the Kingfield 10K in 43:56. That year the Maine Track Club awarded him "Most Improved Runner".

Some of his other PR's included a 21 :05 clocking at Bruno's in Portland at age 67; and 35:31 at Pat's Pizza 5 Miler in 1992 at age 69.

Bradley, whose weight was up to 180 pounds on his 5 ft. 9 in. frame at one point in his life, was now running at 160 pounds. In 1992, he ran 1:39:37 and 1:39:54, the 16th and 18th fastest times in the country for his age group in the half marathon. He also ran 68:03 for the eighth fastest 15K in the U.S.
Twice while racing he broke his foot and during his recovery he volunteered his time at Maine Track Club functions. He was touched by the warm response of runners.

Russ had so many great moments in running that it is difficult for him to pick the best among them, but he sites his first place finish at the New Bedford Half Marathon in 1996 as one possibility. His time was 1:47:16. At the 24th running of the Falmouth Road Race, Bradley, 72, was top finisher in the 70 to 74 age group with a time of 59: 18.

His personal bests include 21:05 for 5K at age 66; 35:31 for 5 miles at age 68; 43:56 for 10Kat age 66; 72:38 for 10 miles at age 66; and 1:35:58 for 13.1 miles at age 66. For 15K he's run 66:43 at age 66; he ran 25K in 2:00:05 at age 67 in Rockland; and he ran 15 miles in 1:57:40 at age 68 in the Boston Primer in Readfield. Other PR's include the Mt. Washington run in 1:56:31 at age 69, and a 55:28 clocking at the Falmouth (MA) 7.1 Miler at age 70.

His favorite training distance was 10 miles and favorite racing distance was is the half marathon. Over the years he has kept clear of the marathon, respecting the wishes of his family. His philosophy is "you're only as good as what you practice." .

Over the years he has belonged to the Maine Track Club where he was a board member for four years. He also belonged to the Central Maine Striders and the New England 65+ Runners Club where he is a Maine representative on the board of directors. Among his special honors was being ranked for three years among the top three runners 70+ by New England Runner Magazine. In 1997, he was ranked first.

Bradley was employed by Emery Waterhouse Co. for 35 years. He retired in 1989 as managing director of store programs and advertising. It was then that he was able to devote more time to running and competing. During the 18 years he lived in Bangor he was very active in the field of music. He played the trumpet in the Bangor Band, Bangor Symphony Orchestra as well as several dance bands including his own.

He is a philatelist and an ardent Celtics and Patriots fan. He is also a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, having climbed 47 mountains over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire.

Hall of Famer Carlton Mendell ran more than 100 races with Bradley and was the person who nominated him for the Maine Running Hall of Fame. "I believe the board could not select a more qualified person for the Maine Running Hall of Fame," said Mendell.

Dennis Morrill, who had been running in Maine road races since the 1950's, said he was very impressed with Bradley both as a person and runner. Morrill calls him "fearless. He would go after guys who were 20 years younger than he was. He was tough."

Bradley's greatest reward of his years of running and racing boils down to one word, "friendships," he said. "The greatest intangible benefit of running has been the camaraderie enjoyed for many years among runners. I have made a host of friendships which I cherish," he said. One of those was Kitty Kelley who he met at a Maine Track Club meeting around 1992. They ran into each other again at a weekly group run on Thursday nights. "If it was a rainy night and I wasn't sure if anyone would show up, I knew Russ would be there, and he was!" said Kelley. "I don't think I missed a Thursday night run I enjoyed running with him so much. He always gave me tips like "charge up those hills, Kitty, and don't let up after the top. You can win a race that way," and he was right.

"At the Killarney race one year, Russ and I started together. I felt terrible and told Russ I was going to drop out. He said keep going, you might feel better, and he was right. I placed 2nd in my age group. I always start a race with Russ. I consider him my good luck charm."

Larry Barker, a friend of Bradley's who started racing in 1978, said, "I call him my second father sometimes. I ask him for advice and he tells me. Russ is a great guy. He's always happy, he's always smiling." .

Around 1997, Bradley had to have a hernia operation and was also diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He decided it was a good time to retire. He has since made a routine of walking a 2.5 mile loop near his home.