Leo Schumaker in the KCSB studio. ?His “Running & Racing” show is broadcast on 91.9 FM every Monday morning at 9 a.m.
He?s a kindred spirit who has unleashed his true passion in running.
After a 25-year run of his own as a U.S. Postal Service worker, Leo Schumaker now willingly donates a good portion of retirement time savoring, promoting and living all aspects of the sport, while inspiring others to find their own happy path in life.
Four years back, he cranked it up a notch or two in finding ?his voice? — his Running & Racing Show has since been transmitting every Monday morning from Storke Tower on the KCSB 91.9FM signal.
For his unbridled enthusiasm as a local ambassador of sport in tirelessly promoting the true joys of running, Schumaker, 62, is our newest Volunteer of the Month.
Not bad for this self-proclaimed former ?overweight coach potato? who had an epiphany, of sorts, when he personally witnessed the 1984 Olympic Torch passing right in front of him on State Street.
It served as his call to action.
He laced up some old running shoes the very next day, ran one block and was very sore.
He kept it up and went alittle further with each new day.
Schumaker joined the SBAA and began helping local stars Ethel Byers and Kevin Young with youth races and was soon totally immersed into ?a very nice running community.?
Before long, he was in good enough shape to run the 1986 Resolution Day Run.
Schumaker hasn?t looked back ?
He espouses the ?everyday is your birthday? and ?enjoy life to the fullest? philosophy.
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
This monthly series is made possible by Pacific Western Bank
Volunteers often go under-recognized even though they are extremely important to the athletic community. So important that many of the sporting events and organizations key to our lives wouldn’t be possible without those who donate their time to assist others.
Presidio Sports and Pacific Western Bank have joined forces to change that. This monthly spotlight series is our way of thanking those that selflessly give themselves for the benefit of many.
To all volunteers making a difference, we salute you.
?I like to say, ?Just show up,? he adds. ?You don?t know if you don?t try.?
He now regularly runs five times a week, up to five miles at a stretch and the weight has melted off.
And perhaps more importantly, the good ?endorphin rush? just keeps getting better and better?.
He later joined Team in Training, the racing arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
He attributes his own accelerated recovery from 2005 prostate cancer to his conditioning as he was back running just three weeks after the successful surgery — much to the surprise of his doctor!
?Running has changed my life in a most positive way,? Schumaker shares.
His weekly radio broadcasts continue to feature authors from all over the running world and showcasing the incredible talents of local high school and college track and field athletes ? or anyone contributing to the sport.
And we suppose it?s fitting that his interview for this awards piece, coincidentally, just happens to be on biggest local race day of the year: the Santa Barbara Marathon. (Where he was busy filming and covering the action along the route.)
Which, of course, also happens to fall on Veterans? Day Weekend — a point not lost on this former U. S. Navy Seabee who once saw distant worlds far from his native San Jose home.
And had it not been for his last Port Hueneme assignment, he and his wife, Marcie, may have never found Santa Barbara.
?We used to come up here all the time,? he said. ?We loved the nice weather and all the County Bowl venues.?
Next up?
?I want to cover the Brazil 2016 Olympics,? he says with a big smile.
There isn?t any reason to doubt that our newest Volunteer of the Month won?t get there, because to Leo Schumaker, being around the sport has long been a labor of love.
Plus, he?s already proven to be someone special who ?just shows up? ?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Schumaker is a PresidioSports.com video content contributor.
