Robert Hoekman

How long have you been a HARRA member? : In the beginning. Well, not the Adam and Eve beginning but I joined HARRA when it was founded in 1993. I have one of those rare 3 digit HARRA #s. Before that I was an LDR member for those old enough to remember LDR.

Are you a member of a running club? : Terlingua Track club. I started running in 1987 and in 1988 I went to a sign up for the Fall HARRA series where Roger Boak was running a booth for Terlingua. It's really all his fault.

Volunteering experience: My father was a minister and as a child was involved frequently in volunteer activities (sometimes whether I wanted or not). My personal volunteer commitment began in 1974 after completing my Orthopedic training. I volunteered at the Houston Shriners Hospital on my "day off" doing surgery on crippled children until I retired in 2001. Maybe that is why I am a lousy golfer. :-) In 1999 I proposed to the HARRA Board training a team of HARRA volunteers in CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) with the idea of offering this as a free service to HARRA races. Legally, this program was made possible in 1999 when the Texas State Legislature passed a Good Samaritan Act for AED to go along with the previous Good Samaritan Act for CPR. The program required a physician sponsor and someone to train the members. I accepted that position becoming the HARRA Medical Adviser. Rather naively, we jumped in with both feet in the fall of 1999 with one AED and 19 members covering 22 events. Quickly, it became apparent those #s were not adequate for good runner safety and we expanded to three defibrillators and a team of 45+. Fortunately, the Houston HARRA race schedule coincides nicely with our retirement living arrangement and travel. In addition to the races, during the spring and fall seasons I train new members and do re-certification courses. People come and go so I have trained 80+ members since 1999. I had no idea how time consuming all this would be-probably good or we would never have gotten off the ground. :-))

Who calls you Robert? 

Only my mother and my wife when they are mad at me!

Tell us about you:

I was born in Canada (before WWII) but grew up in NW Iowa attending school in a one room, rural schoolhouse(nine grades and one teacher) with outhouses. One developed leg speed going to the bathroom in the winter. I was the top(only) student in my class.

After high school I spent the summer in New Jersey where I met my wife Peg (who is an award winning, professional watercolor artist). I quickly rescued her from New Jersey. College was in Michigan and medical school in Iowa.

Then came military service (I968-1970), a trying time for the USA and me. :-( 

We arrived in the Promised Land (Texas) in 1970. After four years of Orthopedic Residency at Baylor I entered the private practice of Orthopedic Surgery in 1974 until I retired in 2001.

We have two sons. David (43) and wife Catarina (imported from Sweden) have two children, Anna (7) and Oscar (2) and live in Seattle, WA where he has a  computer consulting company.  Steven (37) lives with the moose and polar bear in Fairbanks, AK where he is a research, wildlife Biologist at the U of Alaska.

Peg and I split time between Houston (next to Memorial Park) and the North Cascades of WA about 25 miles from British Columbia where I run with the cougar and bear. Yes, I've had a couple of big cat "nervous encounters" but apparently they really do not find stringy old runners appetizing.

I have loved the outdoors, especially the mountains, since childhood. Initially camping, hunting and fishing attracted me but in my mid 40s my focus of outdoor activities changed to running. For several years I trained hard (PRs at age 53) and was rather competitive in road racing. In recent years I have gravitated to more casual trail running and snow shoeing (got lazy and it's a bit easier on the spinal stenosis in my lower back). I still run the HARRA Fall series and my streak of 17 keeps me coming back for the Houston Marathon.

What attracts you to volunteering and why?

My initial volunteering at the Shriners Hospital was a "payback" to the medical community that made it possible for me to be an Orthopedic Surgeon- a profession I truly loved. I got great personal satisfaction in helping the kids. Seeing them progress from wheelchair to walking as a result of your help is a gift few get to experience.

My HARRA volunteer work arose from a realization that potential disaster was lurking at every race event. Sudden cardiac death, although rare, is not only possible it is a certainty. Since CPR and rapid use of an AED can save people up to 85% of the time it seemed logical to organize our HARRA members to take turns volunteering to be on the course to do CPR and use an AED when needed.

Again, I saw my work as a form of "payback" to the HARRA running community for an activity that gave me great pleasure and good health over the past 18 years.

Who knows, maybe one day it will be my life they save?   :-)))

What is your favorite event/race to volunteer for and why?

It has to be the Terlingua L P Run for two reasons.

1. For those not familiar this unique race is run on a track where the distance you run in 33 1/3 minutes is recorded. Since our team can be within and around the track we are never more than 100 yards or 30 seconds away from anyone who collapses. Success in resuscitation is directly related to how fast defibrillation occurs so I really love our odds here.

2. The best thing, however, is that I sit at the entrance to the track where I can see the runners coming and going for their heats. Everyone who knows me realizes how much I love talking (Chatty Bob) to all my running friends. While talking they get a blood pressure and pulse check (whether they want it or not). It is surprising how many people have hypertension and are unaware!

What have you observed about people who volunteer?

They are the world's most selfless people, plus they are really fun to be around. Helping others makes them happy. They are givers, not takers and leave the world a better place.

What should everyone know about you by now?

That I have a rather weird sense of humor, read the comics every day and my favorite is Bizarro!