It's not exactly an Olympic training center, but Sacred Heart Major Seminary is home to three serious athletes dedicated to training body and soul on a daily basis. Fr. Richard Cassidy, Theologate faculty member, and Fr. Michael Byrnes, vice rector and dean of formation, are marathon runners. Fr. Todd Lajiness, dean of studies, is a tri-athlete, who swims, bikes and runs all in the same race. All three are enthusiastic competitors who seem to enjoy preparing for their respective races almost as much as the races themselves. For all of them, sports have been a part of their lives since they were kids. Fr. Richard Cassidy Going the Distance for Others "I played left field on our high school baseball team. However, in senior year a track team was inaugurated. Since we both practiced at Ford Field in Dearborn, the baseball coach asked if some of us could 'fill in' open slots for the track meets,"Father Cassidy recalls. "I ran the mile in several of those meets, and since then I have not stopped distance running." Father Cassidy logs a staggering fifty to seventy-five miles every week, running at Belle Isle or in Kensington Park, including runs of sixteen to twenty-two miles some days, in preparation for the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. He says it takes unusually bad weather to force him inside to run on the treadmill. Father Cassidy is currently training for the Boston Marathon in April 2005. It is a course he knows well. "Over the years I have run a number of marathons, including New York and Boston several times. For the sheer excitement of the start, I consider New York the best. There are helicopters flying overhead, boats below the Verrazano Bridge shooting spumes of water, and a cannon shot to indicate the official start," Father Cassidy says."I consider the final mile of Boston to be the best. After many hills, the last mile is totally flat and you count down the final blocks in reverse alphabetical order: Gloucester, Fairfield, Exeter, Dartmouth and Clarendon. Father Cassidy believes physical endurance has an important spiritual component. "Over time, I have evolved the practice of a 'dedication'—with kind thoughts and a general prayer—for each mile," Father Cassidy explains. "In Memphis, I dedicated miles to the faculty, seminarians, graduate students, and staff of Sacred Heart. In recognition of her struggle to overcome Crohn's Disease, I dedicated Mile 26 to Joanne Sayyae of the IFM office. I dedicated Mile 10 to Monsignor John Zenz, recognizing he is a marathon runner now facing hip replacement. "When I asked Cardinal Maida what mile could be dedicated to him, he chose Mile 1. I think he wanted to be on the safe side and knew that was a mile I was sure to complete!" Fr. Mike Byrnes Running and God-awareness Fr. Michael Byrnes also has been an athlete since childhood, but running marathons started after his ordination. "I always played sports as a kid. Baseball and football were my favorites. It wasn't until college that I started running for exercise, "Father Byrnes says. "Now I run regular maintenance five times a week, twenty-five to thirty miles. If I'm getting ready for a marathon, I run forty to fifty miles a week." "I run through the Sacred Heart neighborhood mainly. Sometimes on Saturday, I go to Belle Isle. On my day off, sometimes I go to Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe and run along the lake. I learned about that when I was at St. Joan of Arc Parish. That's where I was when I ran my first marathon my first year as a priest, "Father Byrnes recalls. "I think I started then because that was the first time my schedule was under my control." Father Byrnes, who is currently training for the Detroit Marathon in October 2005, said he has run as many as three in one year, but that was just "the luck of the calendar." "Usually, I run one marathon ayear. When I was in Rome doing my graduate studies, I ran in the Rome Marathon and also got to the Venice and Berlin Marathons," Father Byrnes says. "I have done the Detroit Marathon probably four times. But my favorite is the Chicago Marathon. It was probably the best I've done of all of them, from the route to the crowds. It wasn't my greatest time, butI really enjoyed it." Father Byrnes was featured in a Runner's World magazine story several years ago about spirituality and running, two things that for him are closely connected. "I often pray the rosary while running. But for me, it's even more than that," Father Byrnes explains. "Running often puts me in touch with what's going on inside, and self-awareness often leads to God-awareness. It's not usually strongly intellective, but there is sometimes, while running, an openness to God that I don't get when I am sitting saying my prayers." Fr. Todd "Ironman" Lajiness Triathlon and the Virtues With the demands of his job as dean of studies, Fr. Todd Lajiness does not have much time to call his own, but he spends what time he has in the pool, on a bike and on the run." I have enjoyed all sports since childhood and I love to be active, "Father Lajiness says. "In grade school, I played football, basketball and baseball. In high school, I continued with the basketball and baseball, but switched over to cross-country. As a priest, the team sports are more difficult to play given our schedule, so I've given more focus to swimming, biking and running. "Triathlons are enjoyable because you have to train in a variety of disciplines. Also, it works well with the seasons in Michigan," Father Lajiness continues. "For example, I'll swim and run more in the winter, and bike and run more in the summer. I do most of my running around the seminary, but for biking, I like to go for rides between New Baltimore, where I serve as weekend associate, and Marine City. "There are several categories of triathlons, each one more grueling than the last. The standard racing distances in a triathlon start with a 1.5 K swim, usually in open water, followed by a 40 K (24.8 mile) bike road race, and concluding with a 10 K run. Like his marathon running confreres, Father Lajiness is in it for the challenge, the exercise, and the spiritual benefits that go along with the physical training. "Obviously, there are many connections to the spiritual life," says Father Lajiness. "Endurance under trial, facing unexpected challenges, gratitude for health and the beauty of creation. And of hope."