Marathon man

Torus Tammer

With his training now over, the fate of 65-year-old amputee Frank

Genco is now reliant upon an old friend named fortitude, the will of his

gargantuan-sized heart and the gift of self-hypnosis.

Genco has been in this spot before -- 15 times in fact. He is once

again prepared to exhibit his valor; showing that he is more able than

not to astound crowds, organizers and fellow athletes. This Sunday will

mark his 16th consecutive appearance in the Los Angeles Marathon.

It is not Genco’s concern to win or even come close to placing. Those

who know him, know he competes for the joy of competition. He is not only

known as one of the most inspirational characters to have treaded the

downtown tar, but also one of the most tenacious warriors ever to tackle

the grueling 26.2-mile event.

Genco, who works as a professional hypnotherapist, is the only person

in the world known to compete using one roller skate and two crutches. He

had to have his leg amputated as a small child due to complications at

birth.”All the runners like to see me in the race because I tease them,”

Genco said. “I have a whistle around my neck and as I pass them, I blow

the whistle and throw the crutches up to salute them.”

Marie Patrick, co-founder of the Los Angeles Marathon, says if there

are 23,000 runners there are 23,000 stories, but someone like Genco has

more than the average story to tell.

“You get chills when he goes by the crowd and gets cheers and a wild

reaction,” Patrick said. “The fans are out there for many hours, so as a

spectator it’s inspirational when you see Frank go because he’s doing it

smiling.”

Over the 15-year history of the event, approximately 300 people have

competed every year. Genco is part of this elite group; he is a legacy

runner.

“We are incredibly proud of Frank and all of our legacy runners,”

Patrick said. “There are and have been other amputees in our event, but

over the years Frank has been the only one that runs the event the way he

runs it.”

Born in Pittsburgh, Genco had to fight for life from the onset. In a

story just as miraculous as the man himself, Genco says he was born in a

cemetery where his grandfather was caretaker.

“My mother was visiting her father at the cemetery when she went into

labor,” Genco said. “Mom gave birth to twins but the umbilical cord

wrapped around the neck of my sibling and choked him. The cord also

wrapped around my right leg and by the age of 3, my leg had to be

amputated.”

But with seven brothers and five sisters, Genco had a very active

childhood. While the rest of the world may have seen his disability, he

was too busy living a normal childhood within the confines of a large and

loving family.

“I did everything that my brothers and sisters did,” he said. “If they

went bicycle riding, then I went bicycle riding.”

With the ability to ride a skateboard, a scooter and a bicycle, he

says that it wasn’t until he came to California some 20 years ago that he

really “got into” roller skating.

“I work with a lot of sports people like golfers and baseball

players,” Genco said. “When I first came to California, I was working

with a professional skater. One time, I went with my client to watch her

in trials and thought that it looked like fun, so naturally I wanted to

try it.”

Initially, he faced obstacles like blisters on his hands and bleeding

armpits caused by the friction from his crutches, but that wasn’t enough

to deter this miniature powerhouse. In addition to Los Angeles, he has

competed in the London and the Las Vegas International Marathons.

When competing he applies a method of self-induced hypnosis, which has

helped him to overcome some of the most inclement race conditions.

“I have taken falls because of sliding on a banana peel or getting an

empty cup stuck in the wheels of my skate,” Genco said. “But Las Vegas

was the worst because I was hallucinating most of the way. I kept seeing

the finish line, but when I got close it would disappear on me.”

Lola Finley, 38, took one of Genco’s hypnosis classes last year. She

says that with no prior running experience, she was able to train,

compete and finish last year’s Los Angeles Marathon. She also qualified

for the prestigious Boston Marathon.

“I was an athletic and competitive person but I had never run

anything,” Finley said. “It was grueling last year because of the

golfball-sized rain drops. It was hard enough for people of any age to

finish last year but when you see this man with one leg and a roller

skate -- you have to finish.”

On the nights before and mornings of his races, he employs a reliable

motivational tool. He plays a special cassette with Frank Sinatra’s “My

Way” and the themes from “Chariots of Fire” and “Rocky.”

He loves entering marathons but is limited as to where and how many

times he can compete because of the cost associated with travel and

equipment. He adds that although it costs a fortune and takes a lot of

logistic work, he still dreams of one day participating in the Australian

Marathon.

“I do the best I can to keep competing but it’s sometimes difficult

not having outside help,” Genco said. “The only way I could compete in

Australia is if I had a sponsor.”

For now, he remains focused on completing his 16th straight Los

Angeles Marathon and looks forward to giving the crowd his customary move

of throwing up his crutches while on a one-legged, one-skate cruise to

the finish line. As usual he will be doing this while blowing a whistle

and whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

“I just go to finish,” he said. “I love to get the crowd into it first

and then, to make it a real good time, I’ll stop and disco dance for

them.”