LRC story on John Tuttle: Who remembers the guy?

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But he's part of us. In a way, we all made up Tuttle.

Sprint.geezer wrote:

Gary was wild then and still is today!! Go Gary!!!

Gary was the fastest guy ever to run the beer mile at Auburn!

long in the tooth Tiger wrote:

what a crew down in Auburn around that time, Tuttle, Chris Fox, 'Gravy', Jones, Jaeger, Abshire, et.al. why didn't that bunch win a NCAA XC championship?

I knew their coach pretty well (had coached with him at another school), and I know that their AD-mandated primary focus, every year, was to win the SEC.

Their AD was completely upfront and said that he didn't care if the team *ever* did anything at a national level--he just wanted to win the SEC.

FWIW...

Ran Old Reliable Run 10k in Raleigh back in late 80's early 90s when race was TAC 10k champs. Both he and I did not run well one year, began with a few beers at the hotel, then decided since the crock pot of nacho cheese was going to waste, decided to unplug it from the food line and bring the entire pot and bags of chips to the table for the two of us. Those in the food line, if they wanted nachos came over to our table. Rather amusing.

Still can't believe he ran for Team Kangaroos?

In 1991 when he was 32-33 but could still run 2:13 marathons I beat him in a 28:50 road 10k simply by going out in 4:40 pace the first mile and holding a gap. I raced him again a couple months later in Mobile where he and Chris Fox were around 29:00 and I ran 31:30. 3 months later I was at Cleveland where he ran a 2:15 and I ran 28:40 for the 10k and talked to him afterwards and he told me "you're wierd" Coming from Tuttle I take as a compliment.

Thanks for the correction. I meant John, not Gary. However, Gary competed in a couple of the Indy Life races.

Scroll down to Tuttle.

break it up wrote:

I only recall the oft mentioned story of his Auburn days when he liked to bite into beer bottles and eat the glass at parties.

John Tuttle was a son of a bitch. We once had a bachelor party for Tuttle. He ate the entire cake before we could tell him there was a stripper in it.

Fred Tuttle was a nasty son of a B*tch but he indeed was a party animal. One time about 1945 (his lady was visiting friends in Maine) we hooked up with a couple of fine ladies from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. These ladies were FINE! They were on spring break so we took them to Mountainside Resort at Stowe and spend a week there with them. Fred was not running at the time as his hip was acting up. The two fine ladies were not much into running but they did love to drink. And boy - Fred was maybe the biggest alcoholic I ever met. Maybe that was why he sucked as a runner. We were playing quarters and doing shots and eventually even started playing strip poker. Fred and I were both down to our skivvies and the lovely ladies had already taken off their blouses. Julie had a very fine rack - Meredith not so much. She had a mustache too! Dang - Fred and I both joked about shaving it when she slept. Julie had just lost the hand when DAMN! I passed out. The next thing I know I am waking up - and peeked in the bedroom and Fred is banging both!!! of the lovely laides. That dude could party!!! I really miss Fred. Damn!

Didn't Warren Hare catch himon th eline in a big race.

Went to the same high school as John, although I'm a few years older. The whole family ran, including his father, but he was at a different talent level by far. Don't know if the partying hindered him or contributed to his frequent injuries later on, but when he lined up to race he usually came through.

I was a Roos teamate of Johns back in the eighties....We finished 1,3 at the 82 Cow Harbour 10k and got so drunk afterwards that the Roos staff threated to take us both to the airport early.........Our after race party at the 83 Rock n Roll 10k in LA was way gnarlier as Kristy McVie of Fleetwood Mac tried to get us both to do lines with her and wash it down with Jack.........John tried to talk me into moving from Ft. Collins to the south to train with him in 1982......looking back, I probably should have tried it....................John was a honest, fun guy that I miss..............................

I ran with John Tuttle at Auburn University. I was married. My wife and I had a baby, and I asked Tuttle to be the Godfather of my son. Well, he shows up at the church in his running shorts, caked in mud. Tuttle then pushed the priest aside and said, "I'll baptize that piece of calamari!" Then he poured Scotch all over my baby son and said, "There! You're baptized!"

idiot, you're not funny.

I trained with John during the summer of 1983 in Titusville, FL which was the home of his then-girlfriend whom he later married. It was so hot and humid that he got in his 90ish miles per week in two runs a day and did not run longer than a 9-miler the entire summer. He did jump in the weekly summer track meets on occasion at Titusville Astronaut High School. I recall him running a 9:03 one evening with zero speed training. He did a good interview with me a few years ago that has lots of racing and training info - though he went light on the partying info. http://www.garycohenrunning.com/Interviews/Tuttle.aspx

Great interview, Gary. I think I read it a few years ago on your website. My favorite quote:

"To tell you the truth, Florida was hot. I mean mad dog hot! Yes, training in Florida made everywhere else an easy place to train. If you remember, after that summer of training in the heat and humidity is when I went to Colorado Springs for the marathon training camp. Well, I ran the legs off of everyone even though it was at altitude. You know why - because there is nowhere tougher to train then Florida in July and August."

Coacher

Sarasota, FL

I'm sorry to hear that John Tuttle has passed away already

what?

sad news R.I.P. runner wrote:

I'm sorry to hear that John Tuttle has passed away already