In 1980, the Olympic Marathon Trial was held in Buffalo on a course that closely resembled the one used for the Skylon Marathon. The course began in Buffalo and finished in Canada near Niagara Falls. The top three finishers of that race would then represent the United States in the Olympics that were to be held in Moscow. As a consequence of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, the United States decided to boycott the 1980 Olympics. While the race was held, the top three finishers (Tony Sandoval, Benji Durden and Kyle Hefner) did not compete against the world’s best marathoners that summer.

So when the Skylon course was again named as the site for the Marathon Trail in 1984, there was a great deal of excitement, not the least of which was the running community in Buffalo and southern Ontario again was presented with an opportunity to showcase the area. Also, since the Olympics were to be held on US soil, in Los Angeles, there figured to be a great deal of interest in the race. But what race officials and organizers did not count on was that there would a local runner who had a legitimate chance to finish in the top three and represent the United States.

However, in February, 1984, the committee learned that the third placer finisher in the Houston Tenneco Marathon was Buffalo native and St. Francis High School standout, Mark Finucane. Mark ran a 2:11:55 (5:02/mile) – at the time it was the 8^th fastest time, world wide for a marathon debut and 3^rd all-time for an American. That performance came as no surprise to those who followed Mark’s running career closely. In 1975 he was ranked 6^th in the world on the junior men’s list (19 and under) for the 3-mile and 10,000 meter.

Mark’s attended St. Francis from 1970 – 74, where he was coached by John Courtney, father of Tom Courtney, past president of Checkers. St. Francis competed in the Bishop Smith League of the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association. Mark was the All-Catholic Champion in cross-country in 1971, 1972and 1973, All-Western New York in 1972 and 1973 and All-New York State in 1973. On the national level, he placed he placed 8^th (1972) and 6^th (1973) in the A.A.U. National Junior 10km. Cross Country Championships. Mark was successful on the track as well. He was an All-Catholic Champion - 1972 (two-mile), 1973 (one-mile), 1974 (one- mile)

and set league and school records in the one-mile (4:24.2), two mile (9:12.4) and three mile (14:22). His three mile record was best in the nation at the time. As with cross country, he was successful against regional and national runners:

Niagara District A.A.U. Senior Champion in the three-mile - 1974

Eastern Regional A.A.U. Champion three-mile - 1973 and 1974

Eastern Regional A.A.U. Track and Field Meet Most Outstanding Performer – 1974

A.A.U. Junior Olympic Region-1 Two-Mile Champion - 1974

Mark was inducted into the St. Francis High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.

After high school, Mark attended East Tennessee State University, where participated in cross country and track and field, graduating cum laude in 1979. Mark was All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and All-N.C.A.A. Region III – 1974-77 and in 1977 he was the conference Cross-Country Champion and Runner of the Year, as ETSU was OVC and N.C.A.A. Region III Team champs. That team set an N.C.A.A. regional record for the lowest team score (29 points) that still stands. It was also selected as the East Tennessee State University athletic team of the decade (1970-1979). Mark was named N.C.A.A. and U.S.T.F.F. All-American in 1975 and A.A.U. All-American in 1976.

Similar success came in track and field. He was All-OVC in 1975 and 1976, Indiana Invitational Champion 3-mile in 1975 and Illinois Invitational Champion 3-mile – 1976. In 1975 he placed 3^rd in the 10,000-meter run at the A.A.U. National Junior Track and Field Championships, earning All-American honors. He was inducted into the East Tennessee State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.

Mark tried to average 70 miles a week and would up his mileage to 80-90 miles during the fall and winter. He credits the tough hills of Tennessee with helping him learn to run up hill and more importantly down hill more efficiently. He also benefited from workouts with world caliber runners such as Louis Kenny (one-time Irish National Marathon Record Holder) and Ray Flynn (3:49.77 mile/13:19 5,000) and Adrian Leek (28:10 10,000).

Mark’s success in cross-country and road racing continued after college. He was a member of the United States Cross-Country Team in 1979 and 1981, an A.A.U. All-American in 1978 and 1983 and a U.S.T.F.F. All-American in 1979. His success in road racing was just as impressive. He finished in the top ten at the Peachtree Road Race in 1978 and 1979, was an American Road Racing Association All-American in 1984 and a member of the U.S. World Cup Marathon Team in 1985.

Mark has his name in the record books for a number of local races, including the Turkey Trot, Conners-Kait-Harrity Four Mile Race, the Eldridge Bicycle Club Handicap Run and the Koch Brewery – Fredonia Farm Festival 10K. In 1976 Mark won Koch’s in 30:09, a full minute ahead of the defending champion Dave Dobrzynski! He was the national 10km Road Race Champion and set the course record at the Checkers Waterfront 10K in 1984 by running 29:55.

But it was his performance in both the Turkey Trot and Conners-Kait-Harrity Four Mile Race that really defined his road racing career in Buffalo. The Turkey Trot, the oldest continuously run road race in America, consistently attracts not only the top area runners, but also college runners who recently finished their cross country seasons. It is usually a hotly contested race featuring a lead pack of top runners. However, when Mark won the Turkey Trot from 1980 to 1984, he bested the area’s top runners. He ran 23:40 in 1980 to shatter the course record held by Checkers runner Jeff Kumm (24:45). In 1981 he beat Mike Franklin and lowered the mark to 23:34. The following year he ran 23:49 and in 1983 ran 24:03 to beat Bernie Pabrucki by 27 seconds. He returned to South Buffalo, where he grew up, to win the Conners-Kait-Harrity Four Mile Race in 1980, 1981, and 1983. His time of 18:19 set the course record in 1983. This was just as impressive as his Turkey Trot accomplishments since CKH routinely attracted the top runners in Buffalo and Southern Ontario by virtue of the fact it was one of the handful of area races that offered prize money. Mark was inducted into the Conners-Kait-Harrity Road Race Hall of Fame in 1998.

Mark lives in Johnson City, Tennessee with his wife (the former Mary LaNasa, a Williamsville, N.Y. native). He has worked for the Johnson City Fire Department for 14 years, the last 3 ½ years as a Captain in the suppression division. Johnson City was selected as the #1 Running City in the United States by Runners World Magazine in 1985.