Tales Of A Drunk Marathoner: Steve H. Of Houston To Run His First Marathon Sober

Meet Steve H, an avid marathoner from Houston, Texas who has finished ten 26.2-mile races with respectable times like 3:36:00. (Steve missed qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2000 by a tenth of a second.) What makes Steve unique is that in most of those races, he’d drink a beer around the 22nd mile and another within an hour of crossing the finish line. Not to mention, he partied like a rock star the night before and all through training. Yes, Steve is an alcoholic and drug addict, but a year ago, after a five-day, sleepless bender, a good friend took away his keys and delivered him to rehab. Today, Steve is looking forward to running the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, his 11th marathon and his first one sober. The Houston Chronicle spoke to him about it.

“Just crossing the finish line and not wanting a drink would be a huge accomplishment,” Steve said. “Now it’s not about the time; it’s about finishing the race, carrying the message of recovery by wearing the ‘Sober’ shirt, and being able to finish the race and not have alcohol or drugs or even cigarettes on my mind.”

The bar isn’t the only place Steve’s addictive nature kicks in. The year he almost qualified for the Boston Marathon, Steve had stopped drinking, but felt compelled to race and train constantly. He completed three marathons and a triathlon. Punishing his body seemed to be a theme.
Today Steve is working on a master’s in Public Health and doing a practicum at a a drug and alcohol rehab facility for homeless men. Here’s wishing him the best of luck this weekend–every step of the way.
Commentary: Another step for recovering abuser [Houston Chronicle]