Bloomsday Perennial: James Edwards’ dedication to the annual road race is so strong, it cost him a marriage

James Edwards liked running, but that’s not the only reason he returned to do Bloomsday year after year following the first race in 1977. He also treated it as an excuse for a reunion with friends from college .

“The running thing took off in the late 1970s,” said Edwards, who had experience in both track and cross country. “I was running more distance, more miles per week.”

Still, doing Bloomsday was a challenge.

“Back then, it was hot and long,” he said. “You had to train for it. It’s still a tough course.”

He moved to Montesano, Washington, after he graduated from Eastern Washington University and has been the longtime cross country coach there.

Though Edwards would go on to do a lot of fun runs in addition to several marathons, he downplays his running prowess.

“I wasn’t the fastest guy,” he said. “I’ve never been a standout runner.”

He was fast enough, however, to post a Bloomsday finishing time of 42 minutes, 45 seconds in 1983. He quickly became determined to keep his streak alive and keep Bloomsday at the forefront, a decision he said cost him his first marriage when he refused to skip the race one year.

“I had a choice,” he said. “The wife was doing something, and I said ‘No, I’m going to Spokane.’ ”

The toughest test of his dedication was in 1997.

“I broke my leg playing softball in early March,” he said. “I was in a cast.”

He did what exercising he could, mostly riding a bicycle, and had a wheelchair and crutches ready to go on Bloomsday morning. He was determined to make it, and his 10-year-old stepson helped him. It took him two hours and 39 minutes to cross the finish line.

“We figured it out,” he said. “It wasn’t bad. My arms were kind of tired.”

Now 68, Edwards isn’t logging times as good as he used to . He’s rather enjoyed the change, taking the time to listen to the bands that line the race route.

“Now I notice the stuff,” he said. “I love the community. I love the town itself.”

Edwards has been so committed to Bloomsday that even during the two years Bloomsday was virtual only, he would drive over and do the run on the official course.

“You’ve got to do the real thing,” he said. “It’s just like running. It gets to be a part of your life. It takes a different kind of personality to keep doing this stuff.”

For the past three or four years, Edwards had been having occasional chest pain and began slowing down. He passed a treadmill test, and doctors said they couldn’t find anything wrong. Edwards kept insisting something was wrong and got an angiogram done last year . It showed 100% blockage in one artery and 85% in another. He had bypass surgery in September.

These days, Edwards has been walking as much as he can, with a little jogging thrown in. He’s determined to line up for the 50th Bloomsday in May.

“I’m up and walking,” he said. “I’m getting better. I’ll be there. I’ll finish.”

He and his family will drive over as usual for the first weekend in May. His wife, Holly, typically runs the race but does it on Saturday on her own so she can spend race day with their kids, ages 6 and 8. The kids haven’t shown any desire to become runners so far, Edwards said.

“They haven’t got that bug yet,” he said. “But they like coming over.”

He plans to continue doing Bloomsday for as long as he’s able to. “I’ll keep doing it,” he said. “Hopefully I can get my kids to run it with me at least once.”