So sad I used to post in the RWOL beginners forum and he was always so helpful and willing to give advice
Former Bad Ass
Do you have any details? Cause of death?
Not sure if you are his friend in FB, but we have not heard anything but that he passed away. He posted not even 2 days ago, though, so it sounds sudden.
Damaris
I didn't know him outside the forums, but if I had to make an assessment of him, it would be that he never did anything half-assed. I was in an RA fantasy football league with him the past couple years, and it was insane how much he put into that. And he apparently had two other teams. And his intense dedication to running and football and audio equipment was of course nothing compared to his dedication to his kids, whom he posted about incessantly. RIP Moth.
I didn't know him outside the forums, but if I had to make an assessment of him, it would be that he never did anything half-assed.
I was in an RA fantasy football league with him the past couple years, and it was insane how much he put into that. And he apparently had two other teams.
And his intense dedication to running and football and audio equipment was of course nothing compared to his dedication to his kids, whom he posted about incessantly.
RIP Moth.
Great points.
Here is a quote from our friend Mike from the Beginner's Forum circa 2012. The discussion was MRT and included some of Runner's World's finest from that time.
People who lack faith, self-confidence or have limited perspective find little success in long distance running. Having this mentality is especially important for races like the marathon when you find yourself a dark place and believe not matter what you'll dig yourself out.
Sometimes even one mile at marathon race pace can be overwhelming in the meat of your schedule. But at the same time running a marathon is not a leap of faith, there should be evidence along the way that you're not completely delusional to think you'll string 26 of those miles together. If you've measured your training correctly and not waited till the last three weeks to run your peak mileage or longest long run, listened to your body and given it the rest it needs and tapered the last 10-14 days I think you'll find your legs super-charged come race morning.
So what was an effort in the heat of the Summer will feel like a jog early on race day morning [that has it's own pitfalls but that's another story].
That's terrible, so sad.
Antipodean
Another lurker here... but so sad. Moth was such an inspiration, and so memorable. I haven't been on here much for a while, but remember him in particular from RW Beginners forum. He inspired me to run more and to think more about how I ran. It's so sad for his boys.
Julie
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."
~ Sir Edmund Hillary
Squidward Bike Rider
I haven't posted here in eons, but a FB friend posted about it, and I knew right away it was him. I remember his posts and advice so well. How awful!
Sad for his kids
I'll be sure to share any additional updates as they come (or maybe someone else will beat me to it, sounds like there are many of us that were friends with him on FB).
I share the same sentiments as all of you. I joined the "other" miles game (not 20xx in 20xx) in 2013 and was assigned to Team MRT. I was delighted to see that Mike was on that team too, since I was familiar with his helpful and encouraging posts from RWOL. And I enjoyed chatting with him over the years about running. He gave me a wonderful pep talk after an awful race I had last year that I still think back to when I feel frustrated about running.
I am glad that his running had been in a good place lately; I was excited to see that anyway, but especially glad that things ended on a good note in that realm (that sounds kind of weird but hopefully makes sense).
He often started the MRT dailies thread in our FB group, and he always ended the post with a hearty "Run inspired!". So everybody, "Run inspired!" today!
PRs:
5k - 22:53 (May 2015)
10k - 50:00 (unofficial; part of 20k race, March 2015); 50:33 (official; July 2016)
HM - 1:48:40 (Apr. 2015)
Last Sunday he reported a 58-mile week. That's how he would've wanted to go out. That's how we all should.
Dave
From the Internet.
Oh man! That's so sad I had a ton of respect for him both as a runner and a person. RIP Mike.
When I stumbled upon the BF in January, 2012, injured (some things never change!), it was Moth, Weezer88, Gustav1 and Suzylea (who passed on a few years ago) who started the dailies. He used that same tagline and kept it positive despite the volume of members that place carried.
There was a thread once over there on who had the most FEs, and the number of members he had met was ridiculous. I never made it to Columbus to meet him but had an open invitation. That I didn't was my loss.
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
RIP Moth. Thinking of you today.
This is so sad and sudden. He was always so positive, kind and helpful. My thoughts are with his boys. I can't imagine what this must be like for them.
Chief Unicorn Officer
Haven't been around in awhile but just wanted to share my condolences with the running community. I don't think you'll find one person who can say a bad thing about Mike. He was such a wealth of information and inspiration. I'm honored to have known him, even if only on the internet.
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54