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Story and photos by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published April 14, 2006

Detroit – Fr. Richard Cassidy and Fr. Michael Byrnes got a special kind of "runner's high" when they found out they'd qualified for this year's Boston Marathon – the pinnacle for serious runners.

Unfortunately, it was short-lived. When they looked at the calendar and realized that the marathon date – April 17 – falls on the day after Easter Sunday, they knew they couldn't let the "hoopla and celebration" of the Boston Marathon get in the way of the holy day, Fr. Cassidy said.

Fr. Richard Cassidy (left) and Fr. Michael Byrnes jog on the grounds of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Although both qualified for this year’s Boston Marathon, because it’s the day after Easter, they’ll be running next year instead.

"Both of us knew right away we had to forgo it," he said. "In conscience, we could not have it take over Easter."

Both priests had qualified through last year's Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon. They contacted the Boston Athletic Association, who sponsors the race and deferred their qualifying time to the 2007 race. Next year, Easter falls on April 8, and the Boston Marathon is on April 16.

Marc Chalufour, Boston Athletic Association communications manager, said deferral is something the association does fairly frequently, considering how it is considered an honor to run at Boston and how hard people train to run a marathon. There are always people in situations where they are sick or injured during training, he said.

"A sport like marathon running is pretty rigorous," he said. "There's always things that happen that can keep you from running."

Because of the unpredictability of how many people request deferrals from year to year, the office couldn't provide an average number. The registration office handles each runner requesting deferral on a case-by-case basis, Chalufour said.

The priests appreciate the Boston Athletic Association holding their times, but they would have pulled out regardless and tried to qualify again at one of the marathons this year, Fr. Cassidy said. God willing, he said, both men will be at next year's race.

Both priests, who are Sacred Scripture professors at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, have run in the Boston Marathon before. Runners all over the country train with the goal that they have a good enough time to qualify for Boston, Fr. Cassidy explained.

Although runners generally don't ask someone else how fast they run, they might drop that they've been to Boston, Fr. Byrnes said. "Boston is kind of like the Mecca for marathon runners," Fr. Cassidy said.

Seminarian Robbie Deka, from Zambia, also ran the Detroit marathon with the two priests, but his younger age and therefore tougher qualifying time didn't make him eligible for Boston. Fr. Byrnes helped guide Deka in his training.

Fr. Michael Byrnes,left, and Fr. Richard Cassidy are runners as well as SacredScripture professorsat Sacred Heart Major Seminary. They’re pictured in the seminary’s St. Joseph Chapel.

Although there are a few other priests who run at Boston, Fr. Cassidy is willing to bet there are no other seminaries which have two – especially from the same department. Chalufour said 64 members of the clergy, including Catholics, had registered for the 2006 race by two weeks before. More than 20,000 people take part every year.

Fr. Byrnes, 47, who is also the seminary's vice-rector, played sports at Catholic Central High School and started running in college, which he found to be an easy way to keep in shape. He ran seriously for about 20 years before he ran his first marathon, in Detroit, in 1996, although he'd participated in other races before that. In all, Fr. Byrnes has run 12 marathons before, including in Rome, Berlin, Venice and Chicago.

"Once you're a running for a while, it's kind of like, 'I wonder if I could do that,'" Fr. Byrnes said.

Fr. Cassidy, who admitted only to being "a bit older" than 47, ran his first marathon, also in Detroit, about 25 years ago after picking up running in high school. His ran his first marathon with his two dentists, so the joke was that if he got a toothache during the race they'd take care of him.

Fr. Cassidy has run about 20 marathons, in New Orleans, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago, and once won $100 in a marathon in Memphis for the best time in his age group.

To help keep him going through his races, Fr. Cassidy dedicates miles to particular people or groups. One mile might be in honor of his fellow faculty, another to a family he knows, another to someone with a serious illness.

"I found that to be very helpful, especially as the marathon moves on," he said.

Neither priest says a marathon is easy. They face challenges such as starting out too quickly and running out of energy, although both speak highly of energy gels, nutritional supplements popular with athletes. Both have suffered injuries from their running, although minor – mostly aches and pains, which Fr. Cassidy said that in itself is a blessing.

"The first 20 miles are fun," Fr. Byrnes said. "The last six are more painful."

Fr. Cassidy said the verse Colossians 4:18, when Paul tells his readers "Remember my chains," was important to him during the 1996 Boston Marathon. He was researching and writing a book on St. Paul as a Roman prisoner at the time, he said.

Fr. Byrnes said that a few days before the Detroit Marathon he came across Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." "That got me through last October," he said.

Fr. Byrnes said when he is running he often reminds himself of a prayer he heard once for walkers or marchers and their feet: "O Lord, if you pick 'em up, I'll put 'em back down again."

They both train for races during the year, getting serious about an upcoming marathon a few months before the date. Fr. Cassidy said he's encouraged his fellow priests to stay in shape through running or other forms of exercise, as they need to take care of themselves and stay fit.

Fr. Byrnes draws a comparison to running and being in the priesthood: Pay attention to your pace. "The priesthood is a lifelong endeavor," he said. "You can't burn yourself out."