Nearly 8,000 runners from 45 states will hit the pavement on Old Mission Peninsula Saturday morning to compete in the Bayshore – 2,500 of whom will attempt to run the full 26.2-mile marathon. For many participants, the stakes are high: as a Boston Marathon qualifying race, the Bayshore will determine whether or not they’ll advance to one of the most prestigious athletic events in the country.

Chasing his own “moonshot” Boston qualifying time at the Bayshore this weekend is Runner’s World editor-in-chief David Willey. For the past several months, Willey – working with the same team of Nike scientists and coaches who attempted to break the two-hour marathon record this month – has chronicled his journey to the Bayshore in monthly editor letters in Runner’s World and updates on the magazine’s website and podcast. Ahead of his high-profile appearance at the Bayshore, Willey spoke with The Ticker about his training regimen for the race, his ties to Michigan and why he chose the Bayshore, and his advice for fellow runners hitting Old Mission Peninsula Saturday.

The Ticker: How long have you been trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon? Why is the race such a Holy Grail for runners?
David Willey: It’s been about 10 years. I ran my PR (personal record) marathon in 2007 and missed by just a few minutes. I thought, "OK, this is promising. I can do this." And then I only got slower on each successive try. I just got further and further away! (laughs) They say (the Boston Marathon) is the oldest continuously run marathon. It’s got this unbelievable tradition behind it, but you also have to earn your way there. It’s a real badge of honor, so it goes on a lot of dedicated runners’ life lists.

The Ticker: What has held you back or thwarted your previous attempts?
David Willey: Age has something to do with it. I turn 50 in October. That actually works in my favor, because I get an extra five minutes for my qualifying time. (Ed note: Willey has to run the Bayshore in under 3:30 in order to qualify for the Boston.) Even though I’ve been a runner for 30 years and head of Runner’s World for 14 years, I never quite trained properly. In some cases I didn’t train enough, in some cases I trained too hard and didn’t rest enough. In others I trained well, but had bad race days. You just get to mile 21 or 22 and the wheels fall off. My misses have been in all of those categories.

The Ticker: What was your training regimen like with Nike?
David Willey: I didn’t go into 2017 expecting to run a marathon. It grew out of a project to cover Nike’s attempt to have three of their athletes break the two-hour marathon barrier. We were invited in with behind-the-scenes access to cover it…and one of the team members asked if I had a ‘moonshot’ (dream goal). I told her I’d been trying to qualify for the Boston for 10 years and thought it was out of reach. She said, "We’ll give you access to the same team working with the athletes. They’ll train you as well." It’s scientists, psychologists, product designers, coaches, nutritionists. I was intrigued by the journalistic perspective of looking at what they were doing with elites and seeing if it could benefit regular runners. It’s not often guys who are 49 and have been running for 30 years rebuild their body and running stride from the ground up.

They put me through a battery of tests to determine my baseline. Based on my physiology, they developed a customized training plan for me – not only with running, but strength training and mobility and stretching exercises. It was a 16-week plan, and right off the bat I got injured. The first few months were incredibly frustrating. But it was a blessing in disguise, because one of the big things I learned is that elite athletes spend just as much time preparing for and recovering from workouts as they do working out. That’s the opposite of the average runner. But they do that so when they work out, they do it properly and their bodies recover.

The Ticker: What did the Nike training change most about your approach to running?
David Willey: I’ve worked on my mental game. I never spent time on that when I was younger, but it’s so important. It’s been a revelation of how our bodies and minds work together. Being physically ready is critical, but unless I’m mentally and emotionally ready for this race, I’m probably not going to succeed with a marathon. I had doubts about (the Bayshore) because of my injuries and time (to prepare), but my coaches did an incredible job turning my doubt to confidence and then now, at the end, my confidence has turned into solid belief. Instead of being nervous or dreading it, I’m super excited now.

The Ticker: Why did you choose the Bayshore? You have ties to Michigan?
David Willey: I was born in Ann Arbor and grew up in Grand Rapids. I love Michigan. I knew I wanted to do a race in May. I wanted to go somewhere it would be cool; I don’t do well in the heat. I wanted a race that’s been around awhile. I didn’t want a big-city race, but I also didn’t want one too small. And I wanted a course that was scenic and not completely hilly, but also not pancake flat. The Bayshore is perfect on all those fronts. I’ve heard a ton about it from readers. My whole family will also be there, so I’m doing it for tactical but also emotional reasons.

The Ticker: What advice do you have for others running the Bayshore Saturday, particular the marathon?
David Willey: Don’t go out too fast. If you have a specific time goal, research shows the best way to do that is to run even splits or negative splits, when you run the second half faster than the first. If you’re excited and not careful, you’ll look down and realize you ran the first mile a minute faster than your race pace. The problem with that is you’ll get payback the last five miles. Understand adversity is going to come. That’s just part of it. I used to freak out if I hit a hard stretch in mile 20, thinking, "Here comes the wall." Now I understand marathons are hard, and when it gets difficult, it’s a good sign I’m pushing and I have a chance to reach my goal. Emotions and thoughts are two different things, and you don’t need to attach emotions to those thoughts when it gets tough.

The Ticker: How confident do you feel that you’ll reach your goal at the Bayshore this weekend?
David Willey: I’m not guaranteeing I’m going to do this, but I’m just telling you how I feel – I feel like I’m going to do it. At the end of training, there’s this phase called the taper. It’s a few weeks and you feel horrible, you’re exhausted all the time and you think, ‘How am I going to run a marathon?’ I’ve got that, but I know now that’s just the taper talking, and that come Saturday morning, everything will collide in this perfect alignment of training and rest. And I’ll feel great. My running coach is going to run with me, and I’ve got two friends running to pace me. So I’m excited and extremely confident.

To track Willey's results and those of other Bayshore participants, click here for live race tracking and results during Saturday's event.

Photo credit: Mitch Mandel/Courtesy of Runner's World