He’s a St. Louis Runner: Martin Kilcoyne

Martin
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Martin Kilcoyne
Sports Director — KTVI FOX 2
Co-host — KFNS 590 AM “The Morning Grind”

This interview also appears in the February 2006 issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine, the official swim-bike-run publication of Super Bowl XL.

Martin Kilcoyne doesn’t have time for this interview. He should be attending a game, watching a game on TV, reading about a game, thinking about a game, or talking about a game. This guy’s got game.

Monday through Friday, Kilcoyne rises at 5:30 AM to co-host The Morning Grind sports talk radio show from 7:00–10:00 AM on KFNS 590 AM. Sunday through Thursday evenings, he delivers the sports news into your living room as KTVI FOX 2’s lead sports anchor.

The 37-year-old Kilcoyne, who grew up in St. Louis idolizing Jack Buck and Bob Costas and graduated from CBC High School and Marquette University, returned to work in his hometown in 1997 after spending six years eating ramen noodles and honing his broadcasting skills in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Rhinelander, Wis.; and Madison, Wis.

Though he works 60-hour weeks between his TV and radio jobs, Kilcoyne manages to squeeze in about 15-20 miles of running each week — usually at about an 8:30-9:00-minute-mile pace — in addition to doing 2-3 sessions in the weight room. We talked about his running regimen while watching an AFC playoff game.

JOHN: Why do you run, Martin?
MARTIN: I’ve been running from commitment my whole life.

Besides that?
I like the solitude. During a run I’ll think about things I need to get done that day or week — I review the mental checklist. Sometimes I think about what I’m trying to accomplish in my life. I like the metaphor of chasing something. You might run faster because you’re trying to get there as quickly as possible.

I love that feeling of finishing. If I was tired when I started, I usually feel more awake after the run.

How do you motivate yourself?
I heard that Oprah runs fives miles a day. And I know she ran a marathon. So when I’m feeling under-motivated, I think of Oprah and the phrase, “You’ve got to be kidding,” comes to mind. Then when I finish running I read my latest selection from Oprah’s Book Club and hope it’s not riddled with lies.

Do you have any fitness-related New Year’s resolutions?
Sure, and they’re easy to remember because they’re always the same: Give up sweets, drink less beer, and work out more.

You’re a big guy.
That’s why people often scoff when I tell them I run. I’m 6’-3” and about 30 pounds more than I want to be. Let’s call it 200 plus-plus.

Do you ever run while you’re traveling with the Cardinals or Rams?
Absolutely. I throw my running stuff into my bag with my iPod and all my media guides.

I’ve had conversations with Rams coaches while we were each on a hotel treadmill. During the 2002 National League Championship Series, I ran into Cardinals General Manager Walt Jocketty on the street in San Francisco. He indicated he was somewhat surprised to see me running.

Where are your favorite places to run?
In St. Louis, Forest Park is the clear choice. It’s a nice path and you never know who you’ll see. [Blues President] Mark Sauer almost fell off his bike when he saw me running there one day.

I like running in San Francisco and Chicago because you can go along the water. With Lake Michigan right there, Milwaukee is underrated. San Diego has great scenery. Last year I ran along the Galway Bay in Ireland.

What’s on your iPod?
Not to go Kevin Spacey on you, but The Who is great for running. I’ve been listening to lots of U2 since their concert in St. Louis. You need songs with an edge. No pun intended.

What’s the longest run you’ve finished?
Back in 1998 I ran about nine miles. I was living in Clayton at the time, so I started at my apartment and ran to Forest Park to do the six-mile loop. And then back home. These days my long run is that Forest Park loop. My goal is to one day run a half marathon.

How do you feel about running on a treadmill?
I do it when the weather is bad or if I want to fit in a run at the Y before or after a weights workout. But I try not to. Life’s enough of a treadmill, don’t you think?

I think that’s very existential. So you lift weights?
Pretty regularly for the last seven or eight years. When you have a job covering pro athletes, it does give you a bit more credibility if you’re at least mildly in shape.

When do you have time to run?
On a typical day — if there is such a thing — with no special events and no breaking sports news, I usually leave the radio station by 10:15 AM and get to Channel 2 by 2:00 PM. In theory I have a few hours in there to work out, nap, and eat.

In the summer I like running late at night to avoid the heat. The great thing about running in St. Louis Hills is you can run around Francis Park at 11:00 PM without feeling like Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man. I’ve never admitted this publicly, but I used to have an irrational fear that someone would grab me while I was running at night and drill holes in my teeth.

That’s the most obscure film reference uttered in the short history of this magazine.
Thanks. That’s what I do.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen while running?
Last fall I saw two guys dressed in medieval garb stick fighting in Forest Park, at the edge of the woods along the Skinker hill. To me, seeing jousters on a Tuesday afternoon in the city of St. Louis qualifies as strange.

What’s the most interesting race you’ve run?
I ran a 5K with some other quasi-celebrities at Fairmount Park one summer night a few years ago. The only thing harder than running in St. Louis heat is running in loose dirt on a racehorse track. That one had both.

I finished the 1997 St. Louis Marathon. I ran the last six miles with my cousin. I remember spectators thinking I was running the whole race offering me water and yelling things like, “Keep it going, big man!” I didn’t look very good.

Is there anything you don’t you like about running?
I’ve done a few road races and these expert runners have shown up and run the course beforehand for giggles. That’s annoying.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made involving running?
After watching Rocky when I was a kid, I drank a couple of raw eggs and went for a run. I got an upset stomach.

Where do you buy your running gear?
Fleet Feet in St. Peters is fairly close to Rams Park, so I try to pop in there when I’m out doing something on the Rams. They do a nice job with customer service.

Who would win in a race: You or Channel 4’s Steve Savard?
I’m quite certain Savard could bench press me 20 times but I would outlast him in an endurance run.

How about a race involving your radio partners on The Morning Grind: Jim “The Cat” Hayes and Tim McKernan?
The Cat would choose not to run. T-Mac would stop midway through to smoke a dart.

Who would you like to run with?
Bill Clinton. We’d meet some women and end up at McDonald’s.

You’re a sportscaster: Who’s your favorite runner?
Can I still say Alberto Salazar? I remember he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for winning the New York Marathon in the early 1980s.

Other than that, I really liked that kid from Meatballs. Bill Murray called him a “wascally wabbit.”

What's a bigger honor: Your Riverfront Times award as "Best AM Radio Personality" or being featured as a St. Louis runner in this publication?
Tied for first.