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A passion for running: Bartz shares what he has learned from marathons

Dennis Bartz began his life as a runner in 1965 when he joined the junior high cross-country running team. Forty-six years, thousands upon thousands of miles and 21 marathons later, Bartz continues to push the pace.

Well, as much as he can.

"I'm slowing down, but I'm starting to accept it," Bartz said.

Bartz, known to many as "Barny," is a 58-year-old Bemidji State University alumnus, former Bemidji High School coach and author of a new book entitled "Run For Your Life ... The Marathon, Minnesota Style."

The book revolves around running while also sharing what Bartz has learned from marathoning, his coaches and people who have inspired him in running.

"It's a collection of my life on the run,"Bartz said. "It's been a work in progress over the last 15- 20 years."

The book consists of 26 chapters, each one reflecting one mile of the marathon, which is 26.2 miles long.

Bartz has run 21 of these grueling races, including the prestigious Boston Marathon twice, in 1979 and 1996. The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and requires qualifying times to enter.

While the Boston race may be the most prestigious Bartz has run, his most memorable came in 2007 when he ran the entirety of the Rochester Marathon with his daughter Tracy.

"I was debating whether to run it step by step with my daughter until she told me that she was going to be leaving for graduate school in Seattle in the fall," Bartz said. "It's