The true marathon man — Demetrio

You won't see the name of Demetrio Cabanillas among the winners at Thursday's Deseret Morning News Marathon. You won't see it among the finishers, either.

But he'll be in the vicinity. Count on it. What's a Pioneer Day without Demetrio? Remember how the Detroit Lions used to own Thanksgiving Day? Cabanillas owns the 24th of July. Aside from Brigham Young, there isn't Utahn more closely associated with that date. (It's also Karl Malone's birthday, but he never did shine in July; that was his time to complain about contracts.)

For Cabanillas, it was Christmas, New Year's Day and the best party he ever had, all rolled into one.

"Many people still see July 24th as 'marathon day,' " he says.

In the 1970s and '80s, Cabanillas dominated the race like no other, before or since. He won seven straight, including 1982 when he set a record that still stands (2:16.57). Creighton King interrupted the streak in 1983, but Cabanillas was back the next year, at age 30, to win again. Alvaro Palacios captured the 1985 and 1986 marathons, but in 1987 Cabanillas won No. 9. (In 1983 and 1986, Cabanillas didn't enter the race.)

Cabanillas always believed the race was his. He ran as many as 170 miles a week in preparation, while other runners were training with 120. The Deseret News Marathon wasn't for everyone. Most elite runners skipped the event, due to its lack of cash prizes. Others avoided it because of the heat and grueling terrain.

Cabanillas ate it up.

"Only those who were real marathoners did it," he says. "That's what distinguished it from all the easy marathons. To run the Deseret News, you didn't run 60 miles a week. You ran 90, 110, 120 miles a week.

"When it came to the Deseret News race, I very much knew I could win," he continues. "I was not trying to be a jerk, I just trained so hard, I knew I could win. People would expect me to say, 'Maybe I can finish in the top three,' but that would have been a lie."

He wasn't going for second or third.

The 48-year-old Cabanillas doesn't run competitive marathons anymore. He plans to compete in the 10K, Thursday, then "go cheer for the marathoners." Once a long hauler, always a long hauler. Also competing in the 10K will be his son by the same name, a former Utah State distance man, and his daughter, Carol, who has another year's eligibility at USU. She finished 12th in the women's 10K last year.

Thirty pounds heavier than in his dominating days, Cabanillas still trains between 50 and 80 miles a week. "I'm 48. For my age, I'm in very good shape," he says.