Honoring Coach Mark McGarity

There were plenty of tears shed by the strong contingent of runners who gathered at the annual Marco Hill Run on Saturday to honor local coaching legend Mark McGarity, who lost his battle with prostate cancer this summer.

Front and center at the event, which has been run since the mid-1970s and has become synonymous with McGarity, was his wife Lisa McGarity. Lisa stood atop Indian Hill with her husband’s close friend, Roger Raymond, who donned a hat like McGarity was known for. He even stood in the middle of the road on top of Indian Hill, like McGarity did, helping to motivate the runners, who had to scale the hill not once, but twice.

"He was just bigger than life,” Lisa McGarity said of her husband after the race. "I’m not kidding, I'm so glad I had him for 23 years,” she said, crying openly.

It was not easy for Lisa McGarity to put on a brave face for the crowd of 275 runners, who raced five miles up and down the hills of Marco Island.

“Well,” Lisa said, "he would have wanted me here. He would have said, ’Suck it up, Lisa. And get out there. Because you’re stronger than this.' You know, I didn’t use to cry at all,” she said wistfully.

Roger Raymond, a legendary coach himself, made the trip down from Orlando to honor the man he considered his best friend. Raymond was a guiding force in the establishment of the sports programs at Marco Island Charter Middle School and Marco Island Academy. He relocated to Orlando several years ago.

“Coach was a friend for many years,” Roger Raymond said. “He is responsible for what I have been able to do and continue to do with students and others in the running community. We had some glorious times running in Colorado and New Mexico. He taught both of my daughters at Lely. Of course, he took my daughter Jessica to state four times, including the runner-up team in 2002. I could always call him when I needed help in my coaching. That may be what I miss the most. Our friendship endured our move to Central Florida. We did fantastic things together for our community. He ran and walked with me when we set up the first Marco half marathon course. He brought his Lely team to the first high school invitational for MIA when I needed teams. I could go on for hours about coach. He is a legendary figure in running and education. All of us who knew him are so much better because of his giving spirit that still lives even with him not present. I felt his spirit on Saturday as I stood alone on the top of Indian Hill with the last few runners battling up that hill. He was with me.”

McGarity was known for helping runners, whether they were star runners or the slowest runners on the team. He even helped his rivals.

"He would coach runners at rival schools,” Lisa McGarity said. "To him, it wasn't just about winning or losing - winning was important, of course. It was more about your lifestyle - becoming a good person and a good runner. That was Mark. He was positive all the time.”

Todd Borden ran for Barron Collier, but he, too, was touched by McGarity.

“I’m the only non-Lely person here,” Todd Borden joked. “I ran for Barron, but Mark was a coach in all aspects of life for all of us. I started coaching at Seacrest and he helped me with that."

Many of McGarity’s former Lely runners were on hand Saturday.

Heidi Miller ran for McGarity at Lely, graduating in 2004.

“He was the most wonderful person you’d ever meet.” Heidi Miller said. "He was a second father for all of us. He really was family. He’s always been a part of our lives."

Andy Beights ran for McGarity at Lely, starting in 1994. He also coached with him.

“He’s been like a father to me and hundreds of other people,” Beights said. “I actually got to spend some time with him on his last day in the hospital. I think the thing that comes to mind is that he still was coaching. Even though his body was weak, his spirit was still as strong as ever. I just saw him as an inspiration to keep his legacy alive. He was such a force for so many of us. I want to teach other people about who he was and what he did for all of us. He didn’t have children - but he had hundreds of children. He was a father for all of us.”

Doctors Patty and Bob Poling were close with McGarity as part of the Naples-Marco running community.

“I think it’s just a great thing to be here,” Bob Poling said, “we remember.” Poling then paused, holding back tears. “He was a good guy. Everybody remembers him. We miss him.”

Patty Poling was moved by the line of inspirational signs that lined the streets around the starting line.

“Did you see the signs coming in?” Patty Poling asked. “Great man. I think of him. He’s inspiring to me. What he did with his whole life, and how it helped people. It’s inspiring."

Lisa McGarity has established a scholarship program in memory of her husband. Four students, two from Immokalee High School and two from Lely High School, will receive scholarships annually.

“The Mark McGarity Scholarship Foundation has been established,” Lisa McGarity said. “The two most important things to Mark were academics and running. This scholarship is rewarding academics at the two schools Mark taught at. He taught at Immokalee for nine years. He taught at Lely for 28. He just was a remarkable human being. We are all so much better for him being in our lives.”

Lisa McGarity also remembers what her husband did for students away from the athletic fields.

 “There’s another thing you might want to know about him,” she said. "We had a lot of kids who had adult problems. Like the dad who mortgaged the business and took his mistress and left the country. And the roof had a leak in it. We had so many kids on our couch talking to Mark about serious problems. Mark would say, ‘okay, we’re going to legal aid. I’ll call this person. I know that person. I know this contractor, we’ll get your roof fixed.'  I mean, there were times when he would spend money on the kids, and he’d look over at me sideways and go, ‘If I don’t do this, no one will.’ I would say, ‘We can eat. We have a roof over our head.' He spent loads of money on kids who absolutely needed it."