On his run around Syracuse’s Eastside, Cliff Davidson, an environmental engineering professor at Syracuse University, identifies the houses of colleagues and students. He waves at bus drivers and greets people in their yards. He points out the peach tree he’s picked from and the areas that have the most deer.  

Davidson approaches hills with a smile, welcoming the challenge and view of the city. At the top, he says he can gauge the clarity of the air by how many water towers he can see on the horizon. He likes running in Syracuse, even in the winter. 

For the last seven years, Davidson has run this 10-kilometer route almost every other day as part of his training for 99 marathons in less than 19 years. On Oct. 13, Davidson will run his 100th marathon — the Empire State Marathon in Syracuse, for the third time in his career. 

“He’s just full of energy, just keeps going like the Energizer Bunny,” said Davidson’s neighbor Sam Clemence, a retired triathlete who’s run with Davidson on occasion.  

Davidson didn’t grow up expecting to be a marathoner. He ran track and cross country at Carnegie Mellon University and continued running recreational five-kilometer and 10-kilometer races afterward. It wasn’t until he was 50 years old that some friends convinced him to do his first marathon.  

Davidson said he was apprehensive at first, but after the race, he realized how much he enjoys marathons. 

The possibility of completing 100 marathons didn’t appear realistic to Davidson until he was at his 75th and realized that all he needed to do was to keep running at the same rate.  

“He’s very determined in everything he does,” said his wife, Megan.  

Davidson is an environmental engineer professor in the College of Engineering & Computer Science at SU. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

Davidson moved to Syracuse in 2010. After about a year, he settled on the 10K route that he now runs every other day, structured around the roads that are snow-plowed first.  

Davidson runs anytime from dawn to dusk, occasionally leaving in the middle of the work day to run. He often doesn’t plan his runs until five minutes before, but said there hasn’t been a day when he doesn’t feel like running.  

Runs are often a time when Davidson can daydream and relax. But he also finds that his mind is more focused. He’ll often think of exam questions for his upcoming tests. If he’s stuck on a problem, he’ll go out for a run and, often, will arrive at a solution regarding exams, research group meetings and homework assignments, among other concerns, he said.  

Davidson only changes his route for errands — like stopping by Lowe’s to order extra research equipment.  

“If you want to be able to think about research questions while you’re running, you don’t want to think about ‘Which street should I take?’ It’s important to have the route down to memory and to not have to switch,” he said.  

For Davidson, marathons aren’t about the competition anymore. What keeps him up the night before a race isn’t nervousness, but excitement. He said he looks forward to meeting new people and talking with them during a race, especially when he can talk with other professors. 

Davidson’s last 99 marathons have been completed over the last 19 years. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

“I just do it for the fun,” he said. “I’m not trying to get trophies and that kind of stuff.”  

Davidson, whose job requires him to attend conferences around the world, said he prefers not to travel just for a marathon so he will often schedule races nearby his destinations.   

In his almost two decades, he’s admired views from Lake Tahoe, run with the governor of Iowa and his security detail, and flown to South Korea for a race. He’s endured a 7,000-foot altitude in New Mexico and smog in Taiwan.  

Davidson likes teaching and devoting time to a green roof downtown. He doesn’t want to become addicted like some runners he’s met who’ve run hundreds of marathons. He doesn’t want his life to become consumed by running. 

“Running is always something I look forward to,” he said. “It kind of keeps me in good spirits.”  

Davidson’s only goal for No. 100 is to wear the shirt his wife bought him that says “My 100th Marathon.” Once the hundredth is behind him, Davidson plans to continue running marathons until he can’t anymore. 

“My primary care physician said that’s the way to do it,” he said. “Just keep running until you can’t do it anymore.” 

Published on October 3, 2019 at 12:38 am

Contact Austin: aclamb@syr.edu | @AustinCLamb