Fred Carlson

Monroeville, PA

About Me

I am an incurable distance racing fan and stat freak.
Second, GO GATEWAY GATORS!

I think distance running is the ultimate sport and trains the body mind and spirit for any challenges in life. PRs high school (Simsbury CT '73): mile 4:24 state meet 5th place medalist outdoors spring 1973 and 5th place mile indoors earler that winter on the Coast Guard Academy speedie track; 2-mile 9:47 in an early April 1973 scrimmage vs Hartford Public HS on their great track. Some things about Simsbury distance: We were second in the state in XC in 1971 and won states in 1972 when I was tri-captain. The Simsbury XC boys had a great run 1991-1995 with multiple large school titles, a state individual champion in 1993 (Broulliet), and second at the New Englands one year. The boys just won (2012) the state class LL and the State Open 4x800 titles, both in record times (7:48.89 for the Class LL title, and 7:51.30 for the State Open title-YES!) The Simsbury girls 4x800 relay rocked at the New England championships June 2010 with a second place 9:16.64-congrats girls!

My son Rick's high school PRs are now 51.7 (400), 1:55.15 (800-Gateway HS school record), 4:27.9 (1600), 9:47.78 (3200), 16:37 5K XC--but I'm more proud of his past excellent academic life: also treasurer of the National Honor Society, President of the Gateway chapter of the PA Classical League, and his terrific and unselfish work ethic in all he does. He's a May 2011 graduate of the mechanical engineering major at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute IN, the #1 undergrad engineering school in the US 13 years running, and is now Lieutenant Carlson in the Naval Nuclear Program serving on the Ohio-class sub the USS Henry M Jackson out of Puget Sound. He learned everything he knows from his older sister Ellen, the other star in my universe! She taught him to read before kindergarten, and has the running training bug recently.

"Sverige" is Swedish for "Sweden"--they USED to have good distance stars!! --unfortunately no one decent in 40 years (they're all playing hockey now)!

I presently live and work as an illustrator near Pittsburgh and enjoy the comraderie with all the other parents, coaches, and kids in this under-promoted sport.

Visit my art site at www.carlsonstudio.com