Pocket Life
By Corky Mau
Photography By Aniko Kiezel
June 2025
Giant Steps
Local runner finishes 30th straight Boston Marathon
Crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon is an achievement. Doing it 30 consecutive times is monumental. That’s what Pocket resident Jim Geary accomplished at age 79.
He’s worn out hundreds of running shoes since taking up the sport in 1968 at Marine Corps officer candidate school. The retired attorney estimates he’s run almost every race, from 5 kilometers to marathons, in the Sacramento region.
“It’s somewhere in the 1,000-plus range,” Geary says. His first 26.2-miler was the California International Marathon in December 1995. His resume includes 123 marathons and 20 triathlons.
But Boston is special. “My family’s Boston roots go back to the 1780s,” Geary says. “Running the streets is a homecoming for me. But I must admit that qualifying for this race every year is getting harder for me.”
Geary ran this April’s race with daughter Tamara. His wife Marge and other family members cheered them on at Mile 21.
He recalls the tragedy of 2013, when Geary was stopped by authorities near the finish. He soon learned about the terrorist explosions that killed three and injured hundreds. Jim and Marge walked back to their hotel with Geary carrying his flagstaff and Marine Corps flag—items he always brings to marathons.
The 2020 Boston Marathon was disrupted by the pandemic. Rather than gather in person, more than 16,000 people ran a virtual race. Geary ran 14 laps around Riverlake to equal 26.2 miles.
Training alone for decades, Geary logged countless miles on Sacramento streets, levees and the new Del Rio Trail. He belongs to two running clubs, the Boston Marathon Quarter Century Club and Frank Bright Forum for senior endurance runners.
“I always listen to music when I run,” he says. “My current favorite is ‘I Run for Life’ by Melissa Etheridge.”
It’s an appropriate song as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023. Geary calls the diagnosis “just another life challenge. Every day I run, I challenge myself to pick up each foot and keep moving forward, hopefully in a straight line and in an upright position.”
ICE CREAM & BOOKS
There’s an ice cream party at Robbie Waters Library on Saturday, June 14, from noon to 2 p.m.
The family event is sponsored by Friends of the Library in recognition of the Summer Reading Challenge. Guests enjoy free ice cream after completing a fun “story walk.”
Kids can sign up for the reading challenge that continues through Aug. 15. Books, e-books, graphic novels, magazines and audiobooks count toward prizes.
FOOD TRUCKS
Enjoy dinner outdoors at Garcia Bend Park on Friday, June 20. SactoMoFo small business food trucks will offer ethnic eats from 5–8 p.m.
Corky Mau can be reached at corky.sue50@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
