Fallbrook man runs 100 mile ultra-marathon

Christine Eastman

Special to Village News

So, what do you do when you have a typical corporate job that keeps you indoors most working hours but you've got the bloodlines of runners? You say, "I've got to get out of here after work and sign up for an ultra-marathon."

While that might not be true for most of us, that's exactly what local resident Roy Quinn did. Of course, he'd dabbled in smaller races and such leading up to that, but an ultra - 100+ miles in distance - isn't everyone's cup of tea. Quinn's Dad ran short distance 100-yard dashes - barefoot. Yup, barefoot. Like, not wearing those fancy $100 5-finger shoes - barefoot. Why? "My family didn't have money for fancy running shoes, so he just said 'whatever' and ran barefoot," said Quinn. His grandfather was also a runner and Roy has one of his trophies that he holds dear to his heart, much like the belt buckle he won for the Mogollon Monster 100-miler about a week ago.

Quinn, now 40, spent his teen years sweating through many a track and field and cross country competition at Fallbrook High School, so running comes to him honestly. He credits Fallbrook High School coaches Marty Houck (who the high school's track is dedicated to) and retired local track/cross country coach Troy Hamlin for inspiring him to just RUN. To go for it. To start doing a "run streak," where you challenge yourself to run a mile a day at least - and Roy did 6 miles a day at least. That's the motivated kind of guy he is.

He's equally humble. "I'm a big baby when it comes to sleep. If I don't get my eight hours of sleep, I'm convinced I have the flu." This poses a challenge when, at points, you spend 30 grueling hours awake on the trail - most times alone - trying to hold yourself up with your walking sticks in the dark of night. Quinn says that's when the hallucinations start. One bout of sleep deprivation brought on the imaginary peacocks. He says with a chuckle, "after 30 hours climbing hills and running, you don't what you're going to see."

What he did see at the end of this gnarly trail that was in fact real was his wife, Rose.

Rose, who is not an ultra-marathoner, ran the last 1.9 miles to help bring her husband in for the 101.9 mile finish - in the cold, stark darkness. How cute is the couple who met in a Fallbrook kindergarten class and brings it into the finish line together?

Quinn and his wife celebrated his accomplishment over a lot of sourdough bread, beer and sauerkraut. When Roy's not running his heart out or helping locals secure their financial dreams, he bakes, brews and even dabbles in the fine art of fencing. The definition of a Renaissance man for sure - people like Roy Quinn make Fallbrook proud.