Imagine running 100 miles with only a few stops for a few minutes.
OK, you probably can’t.
Now imagine running 47 miles and discovering that your feet are afflicted with blisters.
OK, now you’re probably covering your eyes.
Finally, can you even fathom stopping at an aid station, lancing the blisters, throwing on some bandages and a fresh pair of socks and shoes, and continuing on?
Bremen dean of students David Curtin will never forget those first few steps of mile 48 in the Kettle 100 on June 4-5 at Nordic Trail Ice Age in Whitewater , Wis.
“It felt like I was (running) on glass,” Curtin said. “But then it went away. By the end I felt great.”
The 42-year-old Midlothian native and Munster resident finished the 100 miles in 21 1/2 hours, earning a top-35 finish.
Those gut-busting football conditioning drills he did during his playing days at Bremen apparently came in handy.
When I told that story to former Bremen coach John D’Ambrosio, he related his own tale of Curtin’s toughness.
“During his senior year he had a broken thumb,” D’Ambrosio said. “He played at least half the season with it. Before the refs would let him play he had to cover it with a foam wrap.
“He was a great team player, a great captain, a great leader.”
Curtin, who is also in his 17th season as a track coach at Bremen, is an ultramarathon veteran. An ultramarathon is a long-distance race that is longer than 26.2 miles. They are generally run at 50- or 100-mile distances.
During these events runners have stations where they can stop to get food, fluids or a few moments rest, but the serious competitors don’t stop for longer than five minutes.
Curtin, who has participated in 20 ultramarathons, ran his first 100-mile event in Whitewater a year ago.
“It didn’t go well,” he said. “I started getting sick and had some knee issues.'”
This time, on a blistering hot day, he refused to buckle. It is, after all, a Curtin tradition.
More Top Picks Best Activity Centers For Small Spaces
If there were an election for the “First Family” of Bremen athletics, the Curtin brothers — Brian, David, Jim and Kevin — would certainly get a large share of votes.
Brian graduated in 1990, went on to play football at Winona State and is employed there as a defensive coordinator.
David played three full seasons on the Bremen varsity, and a a junior was a member of the 1990 team that advanced to the Class 4A state quarterfinals. He played for two seasons at St. Francis, before walking on at Ball State. As a senior he helped the Cardinals win a Mid-American Conference title and compete in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Jim was a starting quarterback at Bremen, and after graduating in 1994 completed his football career at St. Francis. He is a dean at Hillcrest.
Kevin graduated from Bremen in 1999, and went on to become a Division II All-American running back at Winona State. He is a teacher and wrestling coach at Andrew.
Their father, Dennis Curtin, is a St. Rita graduate and also played at Ball State. He spent many seasons as an assistant football coach at Bremen, Oak Forest and Hillcrest, and was the head coach for five years at Hillcrest.
David Curtin’s interest in running began at age 27.
“I had a life insurance policy test done, and my cholesterol was really high,” he said. “So I decided to start running. When I was (coaching) at Tinley Park, Nick Johnson and I would do three-mile runs together.
“When I came to Bremen, (coaches) Dan Stell and Brad Esposito were runners, so I started running with them. Dan (Stell) had run the Chicago Marathon, so I wanted to try it.”
Since then, Curtin has run in two Boston Marathons. He has trimmed down from 235 pounds to 160 pounds. And to say he has gone the distance…
“Dave left us all in the dust,” Stell said with a smile. “He is constantly pushing his body to the limit by signing up for and finishing some of the most challenging races in the nation.
“Lord only knows what he has up his sleeve in the future, but I’ll be there cheering him on.”
Twitter @tbaranek