Bloomsday Perennial: Mike Hogue remains fit, fast and ready for what Bloomsday morning brings

Mike Hogue was 15 years old and thought he was a fast distance runner. Before the end, he was reduced to walking.

“I was probably in the best shape of my life,” he said of his fitness leading up to the first Bloomsday race in 1977. “I took off way too fast. I was thinking I was an elite runner and I wasn’t.”

Hogue’s freshman track coach at Rogers High School, Bob Isitt, inspired his runners to participate.

Hogue was a “miler,” used to running a mile at a time.

He was forced to walk the last mile or two and struggled through the first race in an hour, 15 minutes.

“I was out of it after the fourth mile,” he said. “I’m lucky I finished the race, to be honest with you.”

He did the second Bloomsday because he wanted to redeem himself, and he’s done every one since. He did have a close call on the fourth Bloomsday, when he was signed up to work. He had a word with his boss and was able to get the schedule changed. Some years, he was so uncertain about making it that he didn’t sign up until the day before.

Hogue often ran the race with his friend Kevin Lukes, who would train year-round. Hogue would only start training a couple months ahead of time. Hogue would always urge Lukes to leave him behind so Lukes could get a better time, but Lukes refused.

“He would always want to run with me,” Hogue said.

Lukes died in 2010.

“He was the nicest guy,” he said. “I always think of him every Bloomsday. I still miss him.”

In later years, Hogue would often go on 10-mile training runs with a neighbor.

“His workouts were much more impressive than mine,” Hogue said. “He just about destroyed me on our training runs.”

But in one of Hogue’s notable moments, he was able to beat his neighbor by two minutes one Bloomsday.

Hogue works hard and plays hard. He works six, sometimes seven days a week driving a bus for the Spokane Transit Authority, but when he takes time off work, he makes the most of it.

“I love hiking,” he said. “I’ve climbed Mount Gibraltar. I’ve jogged Waikiki.”

He also loves amusement parks and cruises. He’s long wanted to go on a specific around -the -world cruise, but hasn’t because it conflicts with Bloomsday.

Now 64, Hogue has avoided any major injuries. He had kidney stones a few years ago, and last year one of Hogue’s many vintage pinball machines fell on his leg, gashing his calf. He thinks that injury has caused lingering problems.

“Every time I jog on the road, I get a bad charley horse,” he said.

To avoid that, he’s been training for Bloomsday on an elliptical, which doesn’t bother his leg. But he’s not sure how Bloomsday is going to go this year.

Though he wants to finish in less than an hour, he said he’d be happy to run his age.

“We’ll see what Bloomsday morning brings,” he said.

In recent years, Hogue has raced virtually because it’s easier to fit into his busy work schedule that way, but this year he plans to be downtown. He said he finds the start of the race exhilarating and loves to people-watch as he runs.

“The energy of the crowd before the race, it’s like before the big game,” he said. “You can feel the excitement in the air.”

He said he plans to keep doing Bloomsday as long as he can.

“Bloomsday has been very good to me,” he said.