JOE JOHNSON
Champion paddler and runner displays a
power surge of determination and enthusiasm
By Jerry Harpt When Joe Johnson lined up his C–1 (one–man) canoe at the start of the World Master's Paddling Championships in Portland, Ore., in 1998, he secretly hoped for a 10th–place finish. Any good showing, among the
company of the best canoeists on the planet, would work out for the 48–year–old turbo with the sculptured body. He had a second ambitious secret as well. He hoped to medal in his age group.  A German canoeist, on Johnson's right, took a deep breath and feathered his paddle in the water. On
Johnson's left, Calvin Hassel, the best C–1 paddler in the world, made his final mental preparations. Hassel was 38 years old, prime age for a marathon canoeist.
Johnson was in awe, but he was also determined. He took his deep breath and placed his paddle at ready. When the gun sounded, boats lunged forward as hundreds of bent paddles invaded the water. Johnson got off to a great start, keeping pace with the German and riding Hassel's wake. He worried that he might burn out early, but chanced an aggressive start. A half–hour into the race, the German and the rest of the field faded, leaving Johnson alone with Hassel.
An hour passed, and Johnson was still riding Hassel's wake. He knew Hassel and sensed that the world champion had to be wondering who
was staying with him. "Relax," he called to Hassel, "it's only me, Joe." Hassel pulled Johnson a little longer and, for a time, let Johnson experience the feeling of taking the lead during a world championship race. Johnson did not decline the offer.
In time, Johnson was riding Hassel's second wake and then his third. Finally, he was on his own as Hassel pulled away. Johnson, too, had pulled away from the rest of the field. When he crossed the finish line, he
was pumped. At the age of 48, he experienced what he considers his finest hour, finishing second at the World Championships and first in his age group, two minutes ahead of the next competitor.
In 1999, Johnson paired up with Linda Brenner to win the National Canoe Championship in the Mixed Masters Division. In 2000, he won the C–1 National Championship. In 1985, he also paired up with the likes of Tim Triebald and Everett Crosier, other national champion
canoeists, to win the International Outrigger Championships in Hawaii, a 42–mile race that took teams over the open ocean from the islands of Malakai to Oahu.
Johnson has not only refined his own competitive instincts, he is also one of the most successful high school gymnastics coaches around. He has coached the Menominee (Mich.) High School girls team to eight Upper Peninsula championships, garnering four undefeated seasons in a row. He
is proud of the accomplishment, but says, "The thrill in coaching is not winning but seeing the light in kids' eyes once they accomplish the skills they have been working on for so long." The National Federation of High School Gymnastic Coaches has voted Johnson Outstanding Coach of the Year.
Johnson was a champion gymnast himself, attending Northern Michigan University on a gymnastics scholarship. While there, he was coaxed by
his coach to quit ski jumping so he had time to improve on his gymnastics skills. It paid off. He competed in the nationals twice and ranked 12th and 14th in floor exercises amongst 200 competitors from both small and large schools.
Johnson is a humble, easy–going guy with a fun–loving attitude. These are attractive traits. His most enduring trait, however, is his drive for self–improvement, a quality that has made him an inspiration for many.
His body has been chiseled via 1,000 hours of workouts yearly. A physical education teacher, Johnson also lifts weights and runs with his students.
Johnson has also been chiseled by a healthy home life. He consistently sits down at the dinner table with his family. His wife, Liz, who has taken the road less traveled and remains at home as a homemaker while the kids grow up, is a competitive marathoner in her own right. She runs with
her buddies in the morning before Johnson goes to work. The entire family, including daughters Candy, Lilly, Madelen and Alison, engage in aerobically active outings together.
Johnson started running years ago, before the craze really took hold, when tennis shoes were state–of–the–art running gear. He has since completed approximately 150 Midwest marathons and over 60 ultra–marathons (50 miles or beyond).
Johnson has run nine 100–milers, including the mountainous Western
States 100, where he finished in 21 hours and 37 minutes. He won the Kettle Moraine Glacial Trail 100K in Wisconsin in 1997, finishing 12 minutes ahead of the next competitor. This spring, at the age of 52, he captured his PR at the Umstead 100–Miler in the hills of North Carolina, finishing in 21 hours and 16 minutes.
Johnson hasn't missed a day of running (at least a two–mile run) in the last 11 years. He runs on snowshoes when the situation calls for it. He
runs at least 2,000 miles annually and clocked over 4,000 miles in 1999. Because competing in 100–mile races involves night running, he runs an occasional marathon through the cities of Marinette, Wis., and Menominee, Mich., in the middle of the night.
Johnson has had to endure the pain of numerous colds and other ailments to capture these accomplishments. This past December, he had shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. He ran in the morning, before
surgery. The next day, when he got home from the hospital, still groggy from the surgery and pain killers, Johnson kept his string alive. Enduring the pain of tying his shoelaces, Johnson stepped out the door and ran on eggshells for two miles. By the end of the week, he ran a 10–miler in the hills near Crivitz, Wis.
Johnson has not only kept his competitive instincts at a high level, but has inspired many others to do the same. He is that powerful wave that
polishes the rest of the pebbles on the beach. He explodes in and out of adrenaline–packed situations with the regularity of the rising sun. He has met numerous victories and defeats in his love affair with the human spirit of silent sports. He is an icon for the quality of inner strength that accompanies both.
Johnson is a shoe–in for future induction into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's Sports Hall of Fame. If there is a more competitive person in
the U.P., he hasn't been discovered yet. At the age of 52, he is still a national champion canoeist and ultra–marathon runner. He is still getting PRs. He entered the Grandma's Marathon Hall of Fame in June 2002.
Johnson handles his status gracefully and with the courage of that tiny ant that can often be seen dragging a morsel of food 10 times its size. He no longer has to secretly hope to attain some goal when he approaches the starting line – he's already been there.
| |
