August 24, 2006

Running as fast as he can

Ephraim Romesberg, 75, writes book about the Great Depression,
nuclear power plants and running ultra marathons

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

If you spend any time with Ephraim Romesberg, you’re sure to hear stories—tales of growing up poor in a family of 11 during the Great Depression, building nuclear power plants and stories of his experiences running in ultra marathons. And so it is only apropos that the 75-year-old should pen a book about his experiences.

Ephraim Romesberg has penned his adventurous life in “Run, It Might be Someone.” Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

“Run, It Might be Someone” chronicles Romesberg’s memories of another time and place in the beginning three chapters. The youngest son of a family of 11, he grew up in Pennsylvania with no electricity or plumbing where his father farmed to support the brood. Romesberg had asthma and a farm wasn’t the best place for him so he “got a break” and drove tractors and Model T’s and stayed away from the hay.

“I enjoyed the book,” said Almaden resident Don Dennis. “I’ll be 78 in two weeks and was raised in the same era—poor during the Depression. And I found it interesting reading about his farm life as a child, hunting for elk in Canada and his GE career.”

Hunting was an accepted pastime for school children during Romesberg’s childhood. Deer, rabbit, even squirrel would be cooked for food. [“I can cook it so you don’t even know you’re eating squirrel.”] Times were tough during the Depression, but families made due and were happy. A stint in the U.S. Navy broadened the young man’s view of the world. And a chance blind date sealed a marriage to Jean, his wife of 52-years. Along life’s highway, the couple lived in Spain and Italy and crossed America several times raising their family of four.

“The real reason I wrote the book was to promote physical fitness,” said the amiable Romesberg. “I could get sick tomorrow but I always maintained my weight [he can still fit into his sailor’s uniform] and can go from point A to B—it just takes me a little longer. And I found that distance running was better for me.”

The modest Romesberg is one of the elite athletes who run ultra marathons—any race over 26.2 miles—but most of the events are 50 or 100 miles or more many through grueling conditions. The 135-mile Badwater Ultra Marathon is an example where runners partake in elevations in the grueling 120-degree heat. But then there’s also the Grand Slam or Big Sur or Leadville in Colorado. Romesberg has participated in all of them and more. His list is impressive: 250 sub marathons, 52 marathons and 114 ultra marathons. Surprisingly, his running days began innocently enough in mid-life.

At age 47, Romesberg was sent to Italy by General Electric to test a new power plant in Italy. He joined “marcha lungas” [long marches] where he ran every weekend noncompetitively through the Italian countryside. But he also credits reading Kenneth Cooper’s “Aerobics” and President John F. Kennedy’s physical fitness movement as his impetus to stay fit.

“If I leave any advice it is to influence people, especially the elderly and seniors to get off the couch and move to achieve and maintain good health,” said Romesberg. “You need to elevate your heart rate for 20 minutes four times a week, which is easy to do running. Bike riding and swimming—they’re smelling the flowers! Ask them what their heart rate is.”

Ephraim Romesberg, ultra marathoner and storyteller, has penned the book “Run, It Might be Someone.” Photo courtesy of Ephraim Romesberg

Saratoga resident and fellow ultra marathon runner Jim Magill met Romesberg 15 years ago. They have run several races together through the years and are both members of the Quicksilver Running Club.

“I found the book an interesting read,” said Magill. “I’ve known Ephraim a long time and it gave me a different perspective on him. He’s a real down-to-earth guy. And it further endorsed that ultra marathoners come from all walks of life and it’s a real leveling sport. You don’t need a lot to run and sometimes the old guys chew up the young guys.”

And at age 75, Romesberg isn’t finished running yet. He plans to participate in the Mother Road 100 in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Route 66. And as he has done many times in the past, he plans to donate proceeds to a cause. His great-grand nephew has neurofibromatosis and all donations above his costs will go to find a cure. His daughter, Laura Romesberg, will crew for him as she has before.

“I like the outdoors,” said Romesberg about his autobiography. “And life is memories. I have a million memories. At this age, I have more past than in the future ahead. One trip running and I have more memories of good times. They toilet-papered my hotel room one time, the time I went to run with no crew and people joined in to help and then there was the Bay to Breakers where the men dressed as cheerleaders and the women…”
Ah, but those are other stories we’ll save for the book.

For information on Ephraim Romesberg’s book “Run, It Might be Someone” call (408) 268-2502 or e-mail EJandJKRomesberg@aol.com or http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=29051. Paperback $20 or hardback $30.