Ellijay native has been running 30 years for fun and fitness
A fleet-footed Ellijay native recently traveled south to Savannah to cross a challenging 5K off his bucket list. When race was done, Al Fuller had finished first in his age group.
Fuller, 75, was among 2,000-plus total runners, including 13 in the 75-79 age group, who took to the streets of Savannah for the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run. The 3.1-mile course covered a swath of downtown Savannah’s historic district including the Talmadge Memorial Bridge across the Savannah River.
Fuller’s time for the race was 30 minutes, 37 seconds. Out of the 2,192 total runners, he finished within the top one-fifth at 382.
“I started training for this race, which had been on my bucket list, in May (2023). I felt like I could do good at it, but I’d really have to train,” he said.
Fuller’s no rookie when it comes to running 5Ks. For the past 30 years, he’s run for a hobby and for physical fitness, while also competing in a growing number of races.
A longtime Ellijay City Councilmember, having served on the council a total of 46 years, Fuller’s slogan in the last election — “Running” for city council — was a nod to his favorite form of exercise. He began running for fun after deciding that golf just wasn’t his game.
“All my friends played golf, and they’d say to me, ‘Go play golf.’ So I did, and I was terrible at it. I never could get wrapped around the game of golf,” Fuller said. “I thought, well I’ll try something else. I knew I could run. I’d been running all my life, and I’d played football in high school. As it turned out, I enjoyed it. Some people don’t enjoy running or walking, but I truly do enjoy it.”
Fuller has also enjoyed wins in his age group at other 5Ks including races in Nashville, Tenn. and Sarasota, Fla. He’s also done well running in many of Ellijay’s Apple Festival Road Races and the Gilmer Christian Learning Center’s Run for the Son 5K.
“The race in Sarasota was five years ago, and there were 2,000 runners in it. Because it’s a retirement community, there were 70 in the age group I was in,” Fuller said. “For the one in Nashville, I got to go onstage at the Grand Ole Opry and get my award.”
Competing in the Savannah race for the first time had added significance for Fuller. Not long ago, it looked like he might have to put running on hold for longer than he actually did following surgery for prostate cancer.
“I had two major surgeries in one year, so I really had to start from scratch to get back into shape. It took months and months,” he said. “(Training for the Savannah race), I ran three days a week. On one of those days each week, I ran 9 miles.”
The Savannah 5K’s goal of benefitting cancer research further inspired Fuller to run it.
“That’s of interest to me because I’ve had to battle certain types of cancer for much of my life. In a good portion of the races I do, the proceeds go to cancer research,” he said.
The Savannah Bridge Run, which uses the 5.5-percent grade of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge as a challenge, isn’t known as “the South’s Toughest Bridge Run” for nothing, Fuller confirmed.
“There was part of the race where I wanted to quit. It was at least a mile uphill, and it was just difficult,” he said. “I thought, well, I just can’t do this.”
But Fuller thought about encouragement he’d received most recently from his wife, Cindy, and years ago from his high school football coach, Johnny Sluder.
“Both of them have encouraged me (in my life), so then I thought, I’m going to finish this race somehow,” he said. “It was kind of like mind over matter. You have to tell yourself you can do it.”
About why running has taken root with him, Fuller said the main benefit is it’s not only good for your body, but also your mind.
“It improves your attitude and clears your mind. It involves the whole body,” he added.
Running for fun and in 5Ks is something that’s caught on with other members of Fuller’s family. His son, James, and daughter-in-law, Allison, are also both avid runners.
“There’s two families I thank for this — my mother’s family, who are Barclays, and my dad’s family, which are Bandys. There must be something in the genes,” Fuller said.
With Savannah now crossed off his 5K bucket list, Fuller said he eventually wants to run his first half-marathon. He’ll be turning 76 later this month.
“When I go out and run, I think how fortunate and lucky I am to be able to do this at my age. It’s like a blessing,” Fuller said.