Rich Ovian was born to run.
The one-time Worcester “Aramite” set the AYF Olympic world agog with his prodigious feats as a distance runner back in the 1970’s.
But he never stopped there.
After completing an illustrious AYF career, Ovian turned to marathoning and at the ripe age of 54, was in the prime of his life.
His best time of 2:26 ranks second among New England Armenian harriers only to distance guru Tom Derderian, who recorded an amazing 2:19 in Boston marathon circles in his prime.
The two were well-connected with one another, though Derderian never competed to any degree for the AYF. He wasn’t an Ovian, who made it a tradition to run three distance races, time and again, going from 3,200 meters to 1,600 meters and finally 800 meters.
His showdowns with Lowell great Mike Walukevich were the stuff of which highlights were bred, wire-to-wire, toe-to-toe, usually by a nose. In fact, it was Ovian who dealt Walukevich his only setback in the mile (or metric equivalent) in what proved a “race for the ages.”
For the record, Walukevich was a 4:12 miler in high school and was still a teenager when the 25-year-old Ovian nailed him at the finish.
Ironic as it seems, Walukevich lost his life some years ago in a jet skiing accident. As for Ovian, he just survived a horrific auto accident on the day of the Super Bowl while crossing the street with a pizza in his hand.
He was a five-minute walk from his home and was passing time before picking up the pie he had hoped to enjoy while cheering for the Arizona Cardinals.
What seemed like a moment later, he found himself seriously injured at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Rich Ovian, one of the most undaunted and popular runners to compete in this area, was finally grounded, but not the way he would have liked.
He now faces a formidable challenge.
“You read all these stories about people who come through situations like this, about keeping a positive attitude with all these clichés,” he said from his hospital bed, on the eve of his 54th birthday. “It’s as simple as this. I have strong faith in God and I’m going to do what I have to do.”
As a runner, Ovian never endured any serious injuries. There were the usual aches and pains from the constant pounding. And conditions that would interrupt his training or race schedule.
He continued running and winning just about every road race in Central Massachusetts during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Ovian covered five miles under 25 minutes and dipped his toe in the marathon while in his 30s.
“I remember hanging out with him in the Hopkinton gym one year for two hours before the start of the Boston Marathon,” recalled good friend Sarkis Varadian, seven years his junior. “He was always a remarkable runner.”
At one point, Ovian began competing for Providence when Worcester had very little in the way of an AYF. But rest assured, he was still an “Aram” at heart—born and bred. Just as important, he was a runner of the highest pedigree.
“I used to think if you have an injury, it heals,” Ovian said. “I’ve never had this kind of experience before. I just have to take everything day-to-day, keep working and working.”
In surgery, three screws were inserted to repair multiple fractures to his pelvis. The operation was considered a success, yet he knows the road to recovery is long and arduous.
The physical therapy he must endure is rigorous but nothing Ovian cannot handle. He won’t be able to stand on his weight for at least another month and from there, a year of intensive rehab is expected.
“Rich has remained very optimistic through all of this,” said his older brother Robert. “In some ways, this rehab for him could end up being like training again.”
Another brother Larry provides his own moral support, along with a plethora of family, friends, and running colleagues.
Before the accident, Ovian was logging an average of 20-25 miles, five days a week, alternating the runs with incline work on an indoor treadmill while nursing a minor knee injury.
Also on immediate hold is his role as an assistant cross-country coach at St. John’s High School where he starred in track before moving to Assumption College and later inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The long-range goal, of course, is to return to running and he plans to take it one step at a time.
“You’ll see me doing something,” he says. “Maybe not a four-minute mile, but I’ll be out there doing something.”
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