By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
It has only been a year and a half since Buck Farrior decided to intensify his involvement with running, but he has come a long way in a short time.
The Brewton resident will go an even longer way next Monday when he and approximately 20,000 other people compete in the Boston Marathon.
Farrior's pursuit of the Boston Marathon came when he went to his son's college orientation in dental school.
While most would find the 3 to 4 miles Farrior ran back in the 1990s an exhausting stretch, it is nothing compared to the Boston Marathon, which covers 26.2 miles.
Farrior quickly built up his endurance to the point he was able to compete in the New Orleans Marathon in 2005. He ran his second marathon race back in February in Pensacola, Fla.
While those races were open to anybody, the Boston Marathon is different. Individuals have to meet a qualifying time in order to participate.
Farrior indicated training for such a race is as much mental as it is physical.
The 51-year-old Farrior has some ideas about what he will experience in Boston, but he also knows to expect the unexpected.
Farrior said a big key to the Boston race is not to start too quickly.
Farrior hopes to run the race in under four hours.
Regardless of what happens, Farrior expects the Boston Marathon to be his last marathon race.