If you want to give Bradford's Rob Prunier a title, one can easily call him "The Running Umpire."
It's actually quite appropriate, but that was hardly what Prunier had in mind back in 2007 when he decided that he had to lose some weight.
As one of the top umpires in the Merrimack Valley on both the high school and collegiate level, the 41-year-old Prunier was in decent shape back then but, at 225 pounds, he knew that he had to shed some pounds.
"I woke up one day and realized that I had to lose weight so I went to the gym, did the elliptical machine and some other things, but I knew that wasn't going to work — it was too boring," he said. "I went outside and I started running."
Shortly thereafter, Prunier decided to run the Feaster Five on Thanksgiving. That's when his life changed while on his way toward losing 50 pounds.
"It was really only the third time I ran of any distance outside, but I did it and I loved it," said Prunier, who now checks in at about 170 pounds. "I really got sucked into it ... the crowd, the whole atmosphere, just everything."
Yes, Prunier was hooked and, before long, running became a focal point of his existence. Since that Feaster debut, he has joined and become an active member of the Merrimack Valley Striders, run nearly every day and competed in numerous road races.
Prunier ran his first marathon in Chicago in October of 2008 and he has since run seven other marathons, including Boston three times and Vancouver once. He's averaging more than two marathons per year.
"I just like to run, period, but the marathons keep me motivated," said Prunier. "There's a 16-week schedule you have to follow and it keeps you going. There's a journey to get to the marathon and it's like a celebration of your running."
But Prunier has learned to love far more than the act of putting one foot in front of the other.
"It makes your whole body feel good," he said. "I like to say, it doesn't always feel good when you run, but you feel good when you're done.
"And I really enjoy the camaraderie with the other runners. When I went to that first Feaster, I didn't know anyone, but I've met so many great people since then because of the running and joining the Striders."
The multiple positives of Prunier's growing addiction to running, and the weight loss that accompanied it, even spilled into his umpiring.
"It's made a tremendous difference," he said. "I've become more consistent at the plate as far as stamina and I'm quicker on the bases. Plus, the image is better, being trimmer. ... It (running) has absolutely improved my umpiring."
The running has become such a focal point for Prunier that he now puts it on a par with umpiring, which has been a constructive passion for many years. And, at some point, it'll probably surpass it.
"I know I'll still be running when I'm, say, 74, but I doubt I'll be umpiring," said Prunier. "You don't want to keep doing that (umpiring) when you start losing your skills, but you can always move into a new age division with running."
For now, however, the running and umpiring go hand in hand, with the former leading the latter to a more developed level.
Rob Prunier's highlights
Umpiring
1. Working the 2004 New England College All-Star Game at Fenway Park
2. Working eight years in the Cape Cod League
3. Umpiring in the Independent League with teams like the Brockton Rox
Running
1. His first race, the Feaster Five, in 2007
2. His first marathon, 2008 in Chicago
3. Ran personal-best 3:43 at Boston Marathon this year
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