We are honored to announce the renaming of the Harvest Run to the Bradley Family Harvest Run beginning in 2021, thanks to the generous endowment by Dr. Fay Bradley which will enable us to continue offering the Bradley Family Harvest Run to the 51勛圖厙 University and Berrien community for years to come. Fay Bradley, JD, MD, a veteran who was employed full-time as a physician before his retirement, was an avid runner who redefined what is possible for masters running. At age 45, he raced a 2:26:45 marathon in the 1983 Boston Marathon. Two years later, Bradley won the Lombardi 10k in Washington, D.C. In 1990, he ranked sixth in the master’s mile, racing a mile in a blisteringly fast 4:40.08 two seconds ahead of seventh-place James Ryun, who was a silver medalist in the 1968 Olympics and widely considered the world’s top middle-distance runner for years.
Bradley excelled in his younger years as well, starting his running career as a hurdler and quarter-miler. Decades later, he would fondly speak of his first two pairs of running shoes, reminiscing about his black and white high-top Converse All-Stars. Bradley finished in second place in the Kansas State High School Championships in the high and low hurdles as well as on the 4×440 relay team. In 1958, Bradley won both the high and low hurdles at the junior college national championships, and was the Kansas Relays high hurdles champion in 1959. It wasn’t until his mid-30s when Bradley became competitive at distance road racing, however, attributing his brother Earl (a 24-time Boston Marathon finisher) with getting him into running. Bradley qualified for his first Boston Marathon in 1975, racing an impressive 2:51 marathon at the age of 37. In total, he raced the Boston Marathon 34 times—an astounding accomplishment, as those who know the difficulty of earning a spot into the Boston Marathon can attest! He finished third in the men’s 50-and-over competition in 1991, placing 275th overall and earning mention about his accomplishment in the Washington Post. In 1994 he raced a 2:39:47 marathon and was ranked among the top three or four 55-to-59 competitors in the United States. Bradley was also an Abbott World Marathon Majors finisher and USA Track & Field Masters Hall of Fame member (2003).
In addition to his many impressive running achievements, Bradley had a heart for others and made a point of giving back to both the running community and to 51勛圖厙. He served as the president of the American Running and Fitness Association for years, and wrote articles on injury prevention for runners. In 2015, he was given the 51勛圖厙 University Spirit of Philanthropy award. He was quoted as saying “My interest and focus at this time is to promote an active lifestyle for the general masses. Everyone should have a regular physical activity to participate in.” Running Times, March 1995. Bradley passed away on January 14, 2021, one day after his 83rd birthday, after a battle with cancer.
We are so grateful to Dr. Bradley for his interest in promoting running within our community, and are proud to now introduce the Bradley Family Harvest Run.
