George Sheehan: “The Running Doc”
Dr. Sheehan, 1970s.
My physician-father called him a “true genius.” Dad also said that the two men practiced medicine together in Red Bank, NJ for the better part of 25 years and “he was nothing more than an acquaintance.”
Dr. George A. Sheehan, Jr. was something of an enigma — Dad too, for that matter. But George’s taste for the peculiar would make him very famous. Once an oddity, today nearly 65 million Americans say they run/jog, according to Statista. One of 14 Brooklyn-born children, Uncle George was my mom’s oldest brother.
A genuine sport’s pioneer, George revolutionized running as a means of fitness for the mind and body — writing “the book that got the whole world running.” Among all Americans now, running is the second most popular activity (after walking). George — who claimed to have raced in all 50 states — said his favorite spot to run, the one he always returned to, was Lake Takanassee in the West End of Long Branch, NJ.
George was a successful medical doctor (Sheehan & Kelly were much respected for their diagnostic skills), prolific author (one New York Times bestseller became the “philosophical bible for runners”), acclaimed lecturer (“the running community’s equivalent of a Springsteen concert”), father of 12 children (his wife of nearly 50 years, Mary Jane, defined class, dad once told me.), and longtime Rumson, NJ resident (home was an old mansion on august Rumson Road).
Dr. Sheehan writing in Ocean Grove.
The nationally-renowned “Running Doc” inspired millions of runners nationwide. Including: President Bill Clinton; celebrated distance runners, Frank Shorter, Bill Rogers, Joan Benoit, and Alberto Salazar; and famous doctors, Dr. Ken Cooper (who introduced the concept of aerobics) and Dr. Walter Bortz (the nation’s top scientific expert on aging and longevity).
I got to see Uncle George just before he passed away. He died of cancer at his beach house in Ocean Grove, NJ in November 1993, only days before his 75th birthday.
Here are a few of his pearls of wisdom:
• “The true runner is a very fortunate person. He’s found something that’s just perfect.”
• “To know you are one with what you are doing, to know that you are a complete athlete, begins with believing you are a runner.”
• “The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank.”
• “The most important thing I learned from running is that there is only one runner — that’s me.”
• “Have you ever felt worse after a run?”
• “Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon.”
• “Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be.”
• “Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach.”
• “Fitness is a stage you pass through on the way to becoming a racer.”
• “The music of a marathon is a powerful strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one’s own person, utterly and completely.”
• “The athlete must accept pain — accept it, look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it.”
• “Running is a monastery — a retreat, a place to commune with God and yourself, a place for psychological and spiritual renewal.”
• “The mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body.”
• “If you don’t have a challenge, find one.”
• If you want to win anything — a race, yourself, your life — you have to go a little berserk.”
Quotes from: Dr. George Sheehan’s website.
Drs. Kelly and Sheehan on West Front Street in Red Bank, 1960s.
Image from Dr. Sheehan’s “Innocent Bystander” column in Red Bank Daily Register, November 1970.
On the Run — Dr. George Sheehan statue at CBA High School in Lincroft, Newark Star-Ledger, November 2025. Brain Hanlon sculpted the 7-foot-high bronze likeness. Dr. Sheehan was the school founder.
Christian Brothers Academy High School on Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, 1960s. Opened in September 1959.
More:
20 Amazing Health Benefits From Running a 5k — HERE
I knew this was about the legend and the man, Dr. George Sheehan, before I opened the FB link to the story. I recall him handing out water to runners from his Ocean Grove home. He knew the importance of staying hydrated when running.
Although I was never a runner, I always enjoyed reading about the Running Doctor in the Asbury Park Press as I grew up.
Dr. Sheehan was the only runner you’d see on Rumson Road. I was a classmate of his son Andy at Holy Cross. When Mrs. Sheehan told us in 8th grade that Andrew refused to cut his hair (to the Nuns satisfaction) so he may not be walking with the graduates, I was so impressed that his parents supported his choice. Such great hair he had!
Doc George kicked ass past me at the weekly Takanassee 5k in 1978. I was 26 and he was 60. I did a mere 7-minute mile and Doc would do it in a 6-minute mile. Of course, Doc would be at the finish line enjoying a beer.
I remember seeing him in the late ’50s running past our house on Ridge Road in Rumson wearing a singlet and high cut silk shorts. When I asked who that guy was I was told: “that’s Doctor Sheehan the heart doctor, he thinks running will help your heart. He’s crazy.” He was a phenomenal writer about running, and I don’t think ever got the credit that others (like Jim Fixx) got for their efforts.
I was in the US Army and mostly overseas in the 1970s and 80s and occasionally would see an article or two written by or about Dr. Sheehan and I became a fan. I have read his books. I’m 72 now and wish I had met Dr. Sheehan to say thank you. Regretfully in my lifetime I do not think another Dr. Sheehan will not pass my way again.
Dr. Sheehan was a big influence on me when I started running in the late 1980’s while stationed in Germany during my stint in the US Air Force. I always looked forward to reading his editorial section in Runners World magazine. Then, nearly 20 years later, I found myself living in New Jersey and was able to participate in The George Sheehan Classic 5K in Red Bank. I own all of his books and still re read them occasionally. After all this time I still find small gems of inspiration regarding life and the human spirit.