The signs lined the Bowerman curve as the 77-year old marathoner dying from prostate cancer made his final strides towards the finish line. “Way to go!” one sign said. “We love you, Richard,” said another.
Behind Richard Leutzinger, 24 runners in matching neon yellow “Team Richard” shirts followed, but matching strides with the man was the doctor that made his final wish a possibility.
Bryan Melhaff, Leutzinger’s urologist at the Oregon Urology Institute, first met the aging runner four years ago at the time of his diagnosis. Having run 90 marathons, Leutzinger told Melhaff his dream was to run in a 100th. Melhaff made the goal his goal, too, and took it upon himself to do whatever he could to help Leutzinger accomplish it.
And on the first day of May, four years after his cancer diagnosis in 2012, Leutzinger ran the last three miles of the Eugene Marathon, crossing the finish line of a marathon for the 100th time – a feat many runners only dream of accomplishing.
“It’s so special,” Leutzinger said, his final marathon medal hanging from his neck. “I think it’s like, if I was a child, it would be like a Make-a-Wish kind of thing.”
Before he picked up running, Leutzinger was an avid smoker. He did it for 20 years before deciding he needed a healthier lifestyle.
“One addiction kind of replaced another,” he said.
Leutzinger ran his fastest marathon, a time of 2:38.16, at the age of 40 – a time that would’ve placed him third overall at Sunday’s marathon.
Four months ago, stuck at 99 completed marathons, Leutzinger discovered his prostate had worsened. He’s got a genetic defect that rejects most treatment. It was only a matter of time before it worsened, Melhaff said.
“Taking care of him and seeing how his diagnosis was affecting him, it kind of became obvious to both of us that running a 100th, anywhere, was going to be a challenge,” Melhaff said.
A month ago, Melhaff decided to spring into action and do something. He emailed people in Leutzinger’s running group, the UO Noon Runners, and contacted Richard Maher, the Eugene Marathon race director. Everyone was on board.
The plan was this: the members of the running club would run a relay, passing off roles from the start of the marathon through the course. Then, with three miles left in the 26.2-mile course, Leutzinger would start his leg, ultimately passing through the gates of Hayward Field and onto the track for one last trip across the finish line – the other runners right behind him.
When the course turned from concrete to track, Melhaff, running right behind Leutzinger, felt his emotions kicking in. He got chills seeing all the signs, looking at the runners in the matching shirts with him. Leutzinger’s storybook ending, a goal Melhaff shared, had become a reality.
“It’s just an amazing story, and the more you get to know Richard, you know why,” Melhaff said. “He’s such a great guy.”
Originally, the plan for Leutzinger was to run No. 100 at Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece. He didn’t quite get there, but that doesn’t take away from the moment he had on Sunday – and he owes it all to his urologist.
“To do it with all your friends, and to find out how many people care about you, it’s amazing,” Leuztinger said.
