Sleep-deprived, stressed out, and feeling a sense of helplessness, Patrick Cowden was not looking great the day after his son was born. Cowden was trying to cope with the fact that his son was six weeks premature and in an incubator at the Mt. Sinai ICU. His son’s doctor noticed the strain in the new father and told him to go for a walk, which happened to take him through Central Park on the first Sunday in November. Cowden’s timing was impeccable—he arrived just as the lead pack of elite marathoners flew by. “It felt like it was happening in slow motion right in front of me,” he recalls. In the wake of this amazing, inspiring moment, Patrick decided right then that he was going to run a marathon himself and make his new son proud.
Connor, Patrick’s son, left the hospital two weeks later and is now a healthy 13-year-old who loves basketball and snowboarding and has plenty of reasons to be proud of his father’s running accomplishments over the years. In the early days, though, Patrick made all the rookie mistakes—including wearing a cotton T-shirt in the rain for his first marathon. After ditching the cotton, he has now run eighteen marathons, with a personal best of 3:00:31 in the 2003 Chicago Marathon. He still hopes to break the elusive three-hour mark, but he has had some injuries that have sidelined him since.
Most people would lay low and try to heal when injured, but Patrick works to contribute to the team whenever he can. He became interested in photography after buying a camera for his wife, Heidi, who loans it to him to capture CPTC’s races. Afterward, he posts the shots on his website, www.patrickcowden.com, and often on www.therunninglog.com and the CPTC website, for all to see. Such dedication explains why Patrick has taken on the unofficial job of team photographer after his predecessor, Roland, moved to Hong Kong.
Patrick’s website also features some of his original music, which he has been making ever since he was twelve. He classifies himself primarily as a guitar player, but he is also proficient at drums and keyboards. Patrick’s early musical background led him to his previous career working in various jobs with a tour crew (with such artists as The Smithereens, Joe Cocker, and The Romantics). He was even a member of The Charlie Midnight Band that toured with The Joe Perry Project. Originally from Huntington Beach, CA, Cowden came to New York City back in 1978. He currently works as a contractor on interior construction projects, which allows him flexible hours and time for family, running, and music.
Cowden’s latest venture combines running with music, in collaboration with famed Arizona-based running coach Jack Daniels. Daniels’s training technique suggests that 180 steps per minute is the correct stride range for optimal performance. To help runners stay on track while training and listening to tunes, Patrick wrote music with 180 beats per minute (see www.audioperformanceteam.com for more details). This collaboration with Jack Daniels has gone well; their next goal is to organize a seven-day running competition in which each day features a different running event. Cowden describes it as a “running Tour de France.” Organizing a competition like that is no walk in the park, even though that is where it all began.