As the 30,000 or so participants gather to start the Boston Marathon next Monday, there will be at least one Franklin County native among them.
Scotty Aycock, who was raised in the Bethlehem community, qualified for this year's Boston Marathon. It will be Aycock's first time to run the famous 26.2 mile course.
Aycock, who works at Brown's Ferry and lives in Central, was an avid cyclist until four years ago. That's when his passion for running overtook his enjoyment of cycling.
“In the last four years, I've gotten more serious about running. I always liked it,” Aycock said. “I just got away from cycling and wanted some other way to stay active.”
Aycock has completed four marathons, including the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Soldier Marathon in Columbus, Ga., and one in Gulf Shores and one last fall in Chicago.
Aycock, 45, had to meet qualifying thresholds in order to run in the Boston Marathon. For men 45-49, you must have a qualifying marathon time of 3 hours, 20 minutes or less since September 1, 2019.
Aycock's personal best time, 3 hours 10 minutes, opened the door for him to participate.
Even for an athlete as well-conditioned as Aycock, running 26.2 miles puts some serious wear-and-tear on the body.
“After a marathon, I'm sore for a couple days at least,” Aycock said. “I usually take a couple weeks off from running just to recover.”
Along with the New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon is one of the premier athletic events in the country. Aycock's trip to take part in the Boston Marathon is a bucket list experience for avid runners.
“It's kind of a goal for a lot of runners just to qualify,” Aycock said. “I wanted to take part in something special like the Boston Marathon, and it would be nice to PR (personal record), too.”
Aycock attended Tharptown School through the ninth grade before attending Russellville High School, where he graduated in 1995. After he and wife Brittney married in 2001, the Aycocks lived in the La Grange community before moving to Florence a few years later.
Aycock's advice for someone who wants to start running is to take it slowly.
“There are several programs and apps you can use, like Couch to 5K, to get you started with a run/walk routine,” Aycock said. “Just start slow and don't overdo it. Build up and pretty much anyone can do it. It takes dedication and you've got to be consistent.”
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