‘Third and Final’ Bob-A-Long looks to finish line at Sorosis this October
Mary Beth and Bob Thouvenel, along with Cross Country Coach Jill Pearson Bell, stand next to the tapestry of Bob’s 57 years as a cross country coach. The three have put together the “Third and Final Bob-A-Long” run/walk at Sorosis Park on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. You can register now and guarantee yourself a classic Bob T-shirt! All proceeds benefit The Dalles High School Cross Country Team.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Aug.7, 2024 — Bob Thouvenel laced up his Converse high tops in 1959 and joined The Dalles High School’s first cross-country team under the coaching of Al Miller.
He’s been Bobbing-A-Long ever since.
Through seven decades he has coached at his hometown high school and to celebrate his 80th birthday a “third and final” Bob-A-Long run will be held at Sorosis Park on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.
Everyone is invited to the community event with 1-mile, 3k and 5k walk/run options. Money raised will go to The Dalles High School (TDHS) Cross Country team. T-shirts must be ordered by Sept. 14. Click here to register.
Here to Cheer
Supporters who might not be up to doing the course but still want to support cross country and celebrate Bob's birthday are also welcome to join.
Bob in his early coaching years.
Dedication
Bob’s dedication to the sport and local youth has been enormous, though he’s too humble to talk about it.
Thousands of kids have come through his classroom and made it onto his teams. And no doubt, some will be running next to him come Oct. 5. Jill Pearson Bell, the current TDHS Cross Country coach received advice from Bob as he volunteered for Coach Steve Thompson. Jill and Bob are now partners in training the next generation.
Third Time’s a Charm
This will be the third and final Bob-A-Long, said Bob’s wife Mary Beth Thouvenel.
The “first and last” event was held in 2004, providing a bonding moment as The Dalles and Chenowith school districts were brought together, and issues arose over what high school mascot to use. While students pushed for the Riverhawk mascot at that time, it was the adults in the room that eventually forced an Eagle-Indian hybrid
First and Last Bob-A-Long in 2004
Ty Wenzel participated with friends in that first Bob-A-Long.
While the argument endured, Scott McMullen designed t-shirts that year for the Bob-A-Long using feathers around an eagle face.
“We were trying to bring the kids together,” Mary Beth said.
It worked, and the event drew dozens of runners, raising $1,768 for cross country.
The Bob-A-Long was resurrected in the fall of 2014 as Bob was marking his 70th Birthday and still involved with cross country. The event punched in $2,000 for the cross-country team, Mary Beth said.
Bob made the news in 2014 as he celebrated his 70th birthday with a second installment of Bob-A-Long.
This year in the “third and final” Bob-A-Long, participants are asked to show their decade - with tags on their shirts stating the decade they ran with or for Bob.
It’s easy - there are seven to choose from.
“It’s a community run,” Mary Beth said. “Parents, kids, grandkids. Everyone can run. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our community.”
In the Beginning
Coaches All Miller and Bob Thouvenel in later years.
Bob was a sophomore at TDHS when the first cross-country team was put together. It was 1959.
Nike did not exist.
Phil Knight was just graduating from Oregon with a degree in journalism.
Bob’s original team at The Dalles High School. Click the image to enlarge it.
“We trained in high-top Converse,” Bob said, noting they did not know any better. “I was two years out of high school when we got Addidas.”
In 1959, the first team consisted of a dozen guys, and they trained and competed at Sorosis Park running up “Agony Hill” to the water tower.
Race lengths were not standard, varying from school to school.
Bob remembers coaches pulling out rolling wheels to measure distances. It was not until the ’70s that race distances became uniform.
Bob went to state in his junior and senior years, running a 1.8-mile course at Bush Park near Willamette University in Salem.
He went on to run at the University of Portland on a team of 5, but his career was cut short by a knee injury in his sophomore year.
That did not stop Bob from chasing down his sheepskin, and he returned to The Dalles in 1967 to teach Latin.
A year later, 35 runners turned out for cross country and Al Miller needed help. He turned to Bob to fill the gap. It kicked off a 57-year streak of coaching for Bob.
And one thing remains the same.
“Running is about goal setting,” Bob said. “You don’t have to be the fastest one. You set your goals for the end of the season and make progress. That’s how you get it done. It gives kids a sense of accomplishment. It’s a good program.”
Runners to your mark!
The event includes a 1 mile, 3k, and 5k run/walk; open to all, for any amount of donation. All proceeds will go to The Dalles Cross Country. Afterward, there will be yoga/stretching led by Angela Hanson. And then head to Smoke Wring BBQ in downtown The Dalles for cake and a birthday party for Bob.
Register here. This event is by donation for Bob Thouvenel's 80th birthday- please make your tax-deductible checks out to "The Dalles High School" (Memo Line: Cross Country). Click here to print a registration form and mail it. Or pick one up at the Farm Stand, Empower Yoga, or The Dalles Athletic Club, or just call Mary Beth at 541-965-1576.
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