Odd as it sounds, the 26.2 miles Justin Gillette intends to race in Saturday's Mayor's Marathon and Half-Marathon could actually be a respite from his day job.
One thing is certain: His work shift will be shorter.
When Gillette was reached on his cell phone in Niles, Mich., at 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday, he was mowing hay on the 1,400-acre farm he operates with his father and brother. He had been at it since 9:30 a.m. and expected to work another hour or more, then go for a run.
"When we're busy like we are now in the summer, my running doesn't get very consistent,'' Gillette, 24, said above the din of machinery. "I usually don't race much in the summer.
"I know I didn't run (on) one night this week; it was too late. But I'm still getting in 70 miles a week.''
Even so, Gillette should be one of the front-runners in the 34th Mayor's. The former Goshen (Ind.) College track and cross country runner has won two marathons this year, finished second in another and third in another. Last month, he pocketed $2,000 for winning the Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon in Pennsylvania in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 21 seconds.
"I tell people, 'I don't make enough money farming, so I have to run,' '' Gillette said. " 'And I don't make enough money running, so I have to farm.' ''
The Gillettes grow hay, corn, soybeans, oats and wheat. They also have cattle. He's an eighth-generation farmer.
Gillette last year was ranked fourth in the country among frequent male marathoners by MarathonGuide.com, based on his five victories and seven top-three finishes in eight marathons, which included a 2:27:25.
His wife, Melissa, who also ran at Goshen, was ranked 16th among women by the same Web site. She earned one win and two runner-up finishes in four marathons in 2006, with a best of 2:59:43. She'll also run Saturday, and her background rates her a contender.
The newlyweds -- they were married May 19 -- planned Mayor's as a quick honeymoon trip. And their scheduled stay here of four-plus days will give them some time together. Justin said Melissa earlier this week started her job in genetic counseling, which has her working 10-hour days and commuting an hour each way.
"The only time we see each other is when we run together in the morning,'' Justin said. "She wakes me up at 5:30.''
Running up front Saturday with Justin Gillette should be Jerry Ross of Anchorage, who clocked a 2:24:47 in the Boston Marathon in April.
Ross, 31, who last month was hospitalized for three days with an intestinal blockage, said he has felt flat in training the last couple weeks.
Still, he intends to run the first half of the race hard enough to be on pace for race director Michael Friess' 1987 race record of 2:24:44, then see what unfolds in the second half. In a perfect world, Ross said, he would clock 2:22:00 or faster, and qualify for the Olympic Trials later this year.
"Three things would be great: One, a real good (race), a sub-2:30,'' Ross said. "Two, a great race, taking a crack at Mike's record. Three, the stars align, the moon is in the right position for great gravitational pull, and that would be 2:22.
"I'm going to do everything I can to run a 2:24, go out at that pace in the first half. But in doing so, I might have just enough to come home in 2:30.''
Ross said his friend, John Clark of Anchorage, is also likely to run. Clark, 46, ran 2:39:31 at Boston and owns five top-six finishes at Mayor's in the 2000s. He ran 2:40:46 to finish third in 2003. He could be a threat to Vernon Campbell's masters (45 and older) race record of 2:42:25, set in 2005.
Clark's sister, Esther Jurasek, is registered in the women's field, and has excelled in the race the last three years. She won in 2005 in 3:01:47, finished second by 15 seconds last year and also finished second in her marathon debut in 2004.
Otherwise, there's always some mystery surrounding the marathon fields because so many runners come from Outside.
"There's relative anonymity for someone from Outside,'' Ross said.
Race notes
As of Thursday night, Friess said more than 3,700 people had entered Mayor's, which also includes a half-marathon, marathon relay, 5.6-miler and 1.7-mile Youth Cup.
In that MarathonGuide.com rating that ranked Justin Gillette fourth in the nation in 2006, Chuck Engle of Columbus, Ohio, was ranked first. Engle last year ran 50 marathons and copped 41 top-three finishes, including a second place at Mayor's.
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
LAST CHANCE REGISTRATION: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today, at Marathon Expo, Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.
Mayor's Marathon records
Marathon
Men
Overall -- Michael Friess, 2:24:44, 1987
Masters (45 and older) -- Vernon Campbell, 2:42:25, 2005
Visitor's Cup -- Trevor Pettingill, 2:27:24, 2003
Women
Overall -- Chris Clark, 2:38:19, 2002
Masters (45 and older) -- Nina Helm, 3:14:00, 2006
Visitor's Cup -- Rachel Cook, 2:59:19, 2000
Half-Marathon
Men
Overall -- Don Clary, 1:08:18, 1995
Masters (45 and older) -- Norman Ferris, 1:16:25, 1997
Women
Overall -- Kristi Klinnert, 1:18:41, 1993
Masters (45 and older) -- Pat Shipley, 1:31:07, 2004
5.6-Miler
Men
Overall -- Marcus Dunbar, 28:20, 1997
Masters (45 and older) -- Jeff Young, 31:16, 2005
Women
Overall -- Suzanne Ray, 32:33, 1995
Masters (45 and older) -- Suzanne Ray, 32:33, 1995
Marathon Relay
Jerry Ross, Joe Alward, Donley, Laird Prosser, 2:22:49, 2002
