At age 32, Larry Davis learned how not to run a marathon. Friends convinced him in 1978 to run the New York City Marathon. He hadn't trained properly and showed up, not having an inkling of the demands of that distance. As you can imagine, he learned what rigor mortis is all about. Despite the pain, he endured during his first 26.2 mile event, he finished in respectable 3:24:26. Along with the finish, came the bug to run races.

Larry took running more seriously and his times improved. Soon, Larry could be found competing in races from Maine to New York. In 1997, Larry co-founded a sunglass company that specialized in sports eyewear and moved to Boca Raton Fla., from his home in Guildord, Conn. He learned about the Boca Raton Road Runners and found that, much like his running group in Connecticut, these folks like to run, but never take themselves to seriously. He still enjoys the Wednesday evening runs along A1A and, occasionally, a good track workout.

Larry has experienced the glory of breaking 3:00 hours in a marathon, as well as the agony of terrible disease, Mesothelioma. This cancer caused by man made asbestos is a killer, without a cure. Today, Larry only hopes to promote awareness, with the aim of finding a cure for the disease First, he has to appeal to the government, in the hope that it is human enouogh to ban asbestos use and importation. Larry and his wife, Carol, also a Boston Marathon qualifier, enjoy running with their children, Courtney, Heather, Lesha and a few grandkids. They enter their Bouvier, Oscar, in shows and bring their beloved dog to weekly running workouts.