‘Fast Eddie’ rides again

By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY

Senior Writer

 

Just as the Lone Ranger rode again and again, longtime Crestline resident and world traveler Edward Hahn III, known affectionately by many as “Fast Eddie,” completed his 328th marathon run on Saturday, Sept. 20 when he captured first place in the Devil After Dark Marathon in Lovell Canyon, Nev.

According to Hahn, he registered for the Run Through the Pines 10k in August, but he forfeited his entry when he realized there was a conflict due to prior plans to celebrate his daughter’s 21st birthday in Las Vegas. However, during a candid interview in the loft at Goodwin’s Market on Monday, Sept. 29, Hahn told The Alpine Mountaineer that he had won first-place honors for his age group five times and second place once out of the six times he ran.

When asked how he stays in shape, Hahn said he regularly runs five miles a day on a route that incorporates a loop around Lake Gregory on San Moritz Way.

Hahn, a 59-year-old father of two boys who grew up in Crestline, attended Monroe Union High School in Oregon, where he was awarded four varsity letters in cross country and track and was declared “Most Valuable Cross Country Runner” for the 1983 season. Currently, his youngest son, Francis, a 14-year-old freshman, attends Rim of the World High School, where he plays a baritone instrument in the school’s marching band. Other children include Samantha, 21, and Julian, 18.

In 1986, Hahn became an active-duty member of the U.S. Army and served five enlistments before retiring in 2006. He also spent time at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, as well as a base in 29 Palms, Calif.

Following his retirement from the Army, as a staff sergeant, Hahn enrolled at Citrus College in Azusa, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in language arts.

Hahn furthered his education by enrolling at Cal State University San Bernardino and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies, with a concentration in public relations. He was the only student out of 35 in his concentration to receive department and university honors for his thesis on Lake Gregory and the cancellation of the VFW’s car show.

When asked what inspired him to run in marathons, Hahn said he was inspired by a Catholic priest, as well as his childhood best friend, George Rickard.“I want to clarify the marathon distance,” Hahn said. “It is 42.195 kilometers, which is about 26.2 miles. The concept of a marathon was inspired by the Greek messenger Pheidippides who is said to have run from the battle site of Marathon to Athens to announce a Greek victory.”

In describing his proudest moment, Hahn said, “I won an 8-kilometer race that had 30 to 40 participants in 1991. It was not a marathon. I had six marathons prior to that 8-kilometer race.”

Hahn spent seven years overseas, including deployments in West Germany, South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Greece and Honduras.

Asked when and where he ran his first marathon, Hahn keenly recalled that it was in Portland, Oreg., on Sept. 23, 1984. He also ran in marathons in Germany, Japan, Mexico and Canada.

When asked what the farthest distance he had ever run was, he said it was 100 miles, which he had done at a place called the Nanny Goat Farm in Riverside, which is a horse ranch with a one-mile loop. The next question he was asked is when he might retire from running marathons, to which he replied, “That’s unknown, I’ll do it as long people keep cheering for me, and as long my body holds up.”

Hahn noted he is a member of a club called The Marathon Maniacs, an online running club with marathoners of all abilities, bonded by the fact that they don’t usually take much of a break between marathons, run close in time and meet in person from time to time. “The minimum requirement to join is running two marathons in two weeks, or three marathons in three months,” he said.

As for future plans, Hahn, who is interested in running in more international marathons, said he plans to run in the United Arab Emirates in December. Mentioning that his second to last international event was in April 2024 in Santiago, Chili, Hahn pointed out that his most recent marathon was in January in Bermuda.

Hahn, who had already run in Bermuda, the Bahamas, Athens, Greece, Turks and Caicos, Vietnam and the Sea of Galilee in Israel, said he would like to run someday in Sydney, Australia, and London, England, to complete the Marathon Majors. He would also like to finish an Ironman Triathlon one day.

“My goal,” Hahn said, “is to become a member of the Marathon Maniacs Hall of Fame. To be nominated, you need to have completed 333 marathons,” he said, adding that they meet from time to time to enjoy camaraderie, refreshments and entertainment.