An exclusive interview with sportswriter John Welch
By Paul Baltutis
John Welch, a popular, nationally acclaimed sportswriter, has been living in San Antonio since 1979 and is well-known in the local San Antonio running community on two fronts. During his first 13 years here, Welch raced in many local running, duathlon and triathlon events as well as in military pentathlon competitions. Welch started his sportswriting career in 1986 by covering some triathlons he raced, and that first writing experience opened more and more doors for him over time.
Welch is currently a monthly columnist for “Running South Texas” in Inside Texas Running magazine and contributes to Runner Triathlete News. Welch is also a former San Antonio Express-News weekly running column writer, a position he held from 1991 until 2004. Still freelancing for the San Antonio Express-News, Welch recently covered the Diploma Dash City Championship 5K at the University of Texas at San Antonio and will soon be covering the Senior Games of San Antonio. Given the depth and breadth of his involvement in the San Antonio running community, it seemed important to interview this interesting sportswriter.
PB: John, how did you get started in athletics?
JW: I ran for Herbert Hoover High School in Clendenin, West Virginia, back in the mid-1960s. I ran the half and the mile, sometimes the quarter. I finished second in the State Track Meet in the mile. A guy out-leaned me at the tape and won by a fraction. I ran well enough to get recruited out of high school and got a scholarship to run at West Virginia University (WVU).
PB: How did you do at WVU?
JW: I raced the longer distances, so I ran the 800 meter up to the 10K. My highlight in college was winning a Varsity Letter as a freshman. While I was proud of that, I just wasn’t destined to run well at WVU, not under that particular coach. It took my graduating from college and leaving school in 1971 for me to really improve.
PB: How do you explain getting better at running after college?
JW: I went back to Hoover High School and started coaching, teaching and training there in Clendenin. When I entered some of the local races, I did well, so with this success I kept going. After two years of teaching and running on my own, I decided to join the Marines Corps after they recruited me for their track team in 1974.
PB: What were your experiences in the Marines Corps?
JW: Well, it’s the military. My recruiter told me I would be on the track team when I joined. Well that wasn’t exactly a true statement. I wound up involved in military training the first year, and I hardly got any running in to speak of. The second year was better, and I was able to train and prepare for the All-Marine cross country meet qualifier.
PB: What did it take to make the All-Marine cross country team?
JW: You have to finish in the top seven. I was especially motivated because the coach said that I had no chance. He said you can’t beat these guys because my Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test three-mile time wasn’t fast compared to many of the entered runners. You could say I pulled a “Billy Mills” in the race by getting it together on race day. I finished sixth, far surpassing the coach’s expectations, and I made the team.
PB: Do you think perhaps the coach was just using reverse psychology on you to bring out your best?
JW: Well, I’m not sure about that. You should have seen the look on his face when he had to present me with my award. We did warm up to each other after that, and we became good friends during my time on the Marine Corps track and cross country teams.
PB: Did you compete in a Military Pentathlete during your time in the Marines?
JW: I did several variations of the Military Pentathlon. Because I showed promise, the military sent me down to San Antonio in 1976 for the Olympic trials. I didn’t make the team, but that was my first introduction to San Antonio. I moved back in 1979 because my wife was from here. I joined the Marine Reserves, settled into public school teaching and resumed training. I’ve called San Antonio home ever since.
PB: How did you get started in writing?
JW: Back in 1986, the editors of Triathlon Today (now Inside Triathlon) offered a free entry in triathlon events if you wrote an article about the race. Since I was an English teacher and a competitive triathlete, I submitted my work, and they accepted it. I have been writing for a variety of publications ever since.
PB: You covered high school sports for the San Antonio Express-News. What is your impression of the local high school athletic programs?
JW: The coaching is much better now than it was when I was growing up or even 20 years ago. The coaches are better qualified in their disciplines. They know what they are doing, and the kids have a better chance to reach their potential.PB: What is your overall impression of the total running scene in San Antonio?
JW: It’s pretty decent, but we have a long way to go to catch up to Austin, Houston and Dallas. Perhaps it is because San Antonio is a working-class town. The other cities have more of a white-collar, high-tech workforce. In San Antonio, we hit our peak during the mid-’80s running boom. Even average size races back then drew bigger numbers than they do today. The Fiesta Mission 10K had over 3,000 runners in the early ’80s.
PB: What do you think is the difference?
JW: Well, entry fees are quite high now. It used to be six or seven dollars to enter a race. Now the fees start at $12-$15, and work their way up to $30 or more. That adds up to a lot of money if you want to race weekly.
PB: What is good about the local running scene?
JW: We can’t be blamed for lack of trying. There has always been a great volunteer base here in town. The San Antonio Roadrunners put on a lot of good events, year around, including their free monthly fun run at McAllister Park. There is a good summer youth program with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). As far as road running is concerned, if individual race directors get bigger sponsor money to put on events, you will see us competing with the other big Texas cities. I’m encouraged that Sheryl Sculley is the new City Manager. She is a runner, and that will definitely help running events get better cooperation with the city government.
Paul Baltutis is the manager of Soler’s Sports at 5933 Broadway and a certified marathon coach for Team in Training. Contact him at sage_run03@yahoo.com.
