Bob Cook, Runner's Edge owner, rides 8,000 miles for his 80th

You can say this about Bob Cook’s extraordinary 80th birthday undertaking — he didn’t keep it a secret.

Cook announced his plans to bicycle 8,000 miles over the course of his 80th birthday year in a Facebook post on Dec. 31, 2024.

“8,000 is the goal for 2025,” he wrote. “Let’s do it!”

Spoiler alert: He did it.

And with nearly two months to spare.

Riding his bike six to seven days a week, Cook, of Farmingdale, reached his goal of 8,000 miles for the year on Nov. 9.

Eight thousand miles in 10 months breaks down to about 800 miles a month, or an average of 200 miles of cycling every week. That’s a lot of miles — especially for someone whose original athletic goals were far different. At Hempstead High School in the early 1960s, Cook dreamed of playing football, but was quickly disabused of the notion. “I was a 5-foot-5-inch guy, and they had all these guys 6-feet-4 inches,” he recalled. “I said, ‘I guess football’s not my sport.’ ”

But surfing was. And after graduating from Nassau Community College, he took on the kind of life you’d expect from a young LI surfer: Weekends at Long Beach or Montauk and no particular goal beyond the next wave.

By the 1970s, Cook, who was then living in East Northport, had started running to keep in shape for surfing. This was around the time distance running was getting popular. Cook met Gary Muhrcke, who was already a local legend for having won the debut New York City Marathon in 1970. “I remember going over to his house,” recalled Cook. “He gave me good tips and taught me the ropes about the sport.”

Muhrcke also recruited Cook for his new venture: A store that sold running shoes. The Super Runners Shop in Huntington would become a success. After a decade working there and in other jobs in the nascent running industry, Cook began to think there was room for a running shoe store in Nassau County too. Plus, he said, “I always knew I wanted to work for myself. I was never really great with authority.”

RUNNER’S EDGE

He found a location on Main Street in Farmingdale, and with help from his wife Sue’s cousin — Patrick Gubbins, who owned running apparel stores on the East End — he opened Runner’s Edge in 1985.

Forty years later, the store has expanded to two locations, in Farmingdale and Huntington, and boasts 40 full-time and part-time employees. Cook also sponsors a road racing and triathlon team.

Along the way, he has become a beloved figure on the Long Island running scene.

“I remember as a kid going to races with him, and people seemed to be lining up to talk to him,” recalled his daughter, Allison, who now co-manages the Runner’s Edge stores with her dad. “He’s very personable, and a lot of people feel like they can talk to him and be comfortable.”

For years, Cook continued to compete in the sports his business catered to. He ran marathons and competed in the swim-bike-run sports of triathlon, eventually building up to Ironman distances (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run, done consecutively).

Dr. Steve Jonas, emeritus professor at Stony Brook University’s medical school and author of “Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals” (Norton, 2006), remembers that when he started competing in swim-bike-run events in the 1980s, “Bob was already considered one of the godfathers of triathlon on Long Island.”

PIZZA AND BEER

Cook also embraced the “run hard, play hard” mentality of competitive marathoners in that era. “Like a lot of runners, I probably ran too many miles, ate too much pizza and drank too many beers,” he admitted.

About 10 years ago, shortness of breath led him to a cardiologist. He learned that he had a blockage in his arteries. “It was a real shocker,” he said. Eventually, he had two stents and one pacemaker put in. “I never felt great running after that,” he said.

But on the bike, it’s a different story. “I loved it,” he said. “I was able to get the intensity up. It sounds strange, but I felt normal while I was biking.”

As his 80th birthday year loomed on the horizon, Cook — who has since substituted protein shakes and veggies for beer and pizza — thought about how he could challenge himself.

He briefly considered riding 80 miles in one very long ride, but then rejected that idea. Instead, he thought: “Let me see how many miles I can ride in a year.” Eight thousand, a thousand miles for each decade of his life, seemed like a good target. “I’m kind of goal-oriented,” Cook said. “I knew everything had to come together to reach that number, but I felt I could do it.”

HIS TRAINING PROTOCOLS

Last winter's relatively moderate temperatures enabled him to get more of his mileage on the roads than usual. On really cold or inclement days, he rode his Peloton at home. He also traversed the trails at Bethpage State Park from time to time. But his primary ride — on his Specialized S-Works road bike — was a 30-mile loop between Farmingdale and Oheka Castle in Huntington, using mostly back roads. Averaging about 15 mph on his bike, he typically covered the distance in about two hours. “It can be dangerous riding a bike on Long Island,” he acknowledged. But, he added, “there are also a lot of great roads to ride here.”

Cook was careful to record all his rides on a popular social media platform for endurance athletes. “I have it all on Strava,” he said. “So no one can accuse me of cheating.”

Nobody who knows Cook harbors any doubts.

LONGEVITY, CONSISTENCY

“He set his mind and he was determined to achieve this goal,” said Cook’s longtime friend, Mindy Davidson, who manages the Runner’s Edge triathlon team. “Who wouldn’t be impressed by anyone riding 8,000 miles in one year, let alone someone who turned 80?”

Jose L. Lopez, the Mineola-based coach for the Runner’s Edge-LITC triathlon teams, agrees.

“I’ve known Bob for a long time, so it comes as no surprise,” he said. “It’s a testament to his longevity and consistency in the sport.”

Even those who have never met Cook point to his feat as a model for the rest of us.

Setting goals can be helpful for seniors looking to get more active, said exercise scientist Hank Williford, professor emeritus at the University of Auburn-Montgomery in Alabama. “It doesn’t have to be a race, or something competitive,” said Williford, an expert on senior fitness. “It could be something like going for a hike or learning to play pickleball. Or you could compete with yourself, like Bob did.”

Cook also received a big response on social media: His Nov. 9 Facebook post announcing that he had reached his goal sparked 329 Likes and 147 comments, most of which were along these lines:

“You are amazing ... You are an inspiration ... You are so awesome.”

And to those asking whether he plans on 9,000 miles when he’s 90, Cook demurs. “I try to live in the moment, that’s my new Buddhist self,” he said with a chuckle. Besides, he added, a more realistic, short-term goal starts on New Year’s Day.

“I’ll shoot for the 8,000 again, maybe pop up to 8,100 for 81,” he said.