Bob Bunnell
Class of 1968. All Time Terra Linda 2-Mile record holder at 9:38. Went on to run competitively in college at Humboldt State, and is even better known for his legendary career running the Dipsea Race, being the record holder of both the Double Dipsea (Mill Valley to Stinson Beach and back) and the Quad Dipsea (Mill Valley to Stinson beach and back--four times). Bob has been named by some to be the greatest Dipsea runner of all time.
MCAL Champion
Bob blows away the field in the 2-mile at the 1967 MCAL Championships on Tam High track.
Trophies
Bob with assorted hardware acquired from multiple victories
Bob in 2008 (finishing the Dipsea)
I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. When I started at TL in 1964 the school was 4 years old and many of the track records were soft. I remember in my 1st race my freshman year TL traveled to Oakland to run against East Bay powerhouse Fremont. They were very strong in the sprints, middle distances and field events, but didn’t have strong distance runners. I was one of only 2 TL varsity winners that day, winning the 2-mile in 10:38. Since the 2-mile was the 2nd to last running event, I was the last to get on the bus after my cooldown. As I got on the bus, the coach announced the 2 varsity winners, and also that my time was a new school record. I got a standing ovation from everyone on the bus. As a freshman running his first race ever, it was a moment that I will never forget!
I was able to lower my 2-mile time to 9:38, which was the county record at the time, and almost won the Dipsea Race my Junior year – running from scratch (no head start) I finished 2nd , 5 seconds behind Dipsea Demon Jack Kirk who had a 15-minute head start. I trained twice a day year round, so I was very tough on hilly, strength-type courses. We only ran 2 miles in cross country back then in high school – they switched to 3 miles the year after I graduated. At 3 miles, I would have been pretty tough to beat in cross country in high school. As it was, I guess I was pretty tough to beat anyway, since I only lost one cross country race in the county my entire career after my freshman year (sophomore year in MCALs I went out too slowly).
I continued to run after high school, always running the longest event that was offered – 6 miles in college, the marathon after college, and then ultramarathons. I was one of the 1st to finish the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run from Squaw Valley to Auburn in the Sierra Nevada. I live in Kentfield, and my son Reed runs track and cross country for Redwood. Although I ran many races after high school, my fondest memories are of high school track and cross country and running at Terra Linda.
