Posted: 11/7/06
Bernie is marathon man
Caledonia man and
cancer survivor now
runs for a hobby
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Itís amazing enough that Bernie Pieper is running marathons at age 67.
But throw in his prostate cancer and a very close call with the Man Upstairs, and itís, well . . .
ìItís ridiculous. Disgusting almost.î
Thatís how his wife, Wanda, put it the other day.
Hold on, readers. Wanda loves her husband. Thatís plain for even a dim-witted newspaper reporter to see.
But itís hard not to marvel and even get a bit jealous at Bernieís physical accomplishments of late.
Heís always been a gifted athlete and an active person. He was a two-time all-conference player for the Caledonia High School football team in 1954 and 1955.
He even played football for Winona State University. He was a lineman at the whopping weight of 170. Thatís the same weight he carries today. (Youíre right Wanda, thatís disgusting.)
He wrestled in college too, even though he didnít wrestle in high school, since there was no program at the time.
ìI had the ability to stick with things,î is how Bernie describes his athletic ability. ìI donít know as I had a lot of talent.î He is a modest person.
Bernie taught high school math for 17 years after that. Then he returned to the Pieper dairy farm 1-1/2 miles east of Caledonia and operated that for next 20-plus years.
But his biggest battle came in 2002, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
ìEverybody should have that PSA test,î Bernie said at the start of his description of the cancer treatment.
Dr. Alan Fleischmann ran the prostate specific antigen test on Bernie in 2002, and found a score of 6.3. The normal range is 0-4.
Bernie then went to a specialist, and eventually had a biopsy. His Gleason number was 9, which indicated that it was an aggressive cancer.
(The Gleason number indicates how well defined the cells are. The scale runs from 2 to 10. The higher the number, the worse the problem.)
That led to prostate surgery. The doctor also fixed a navel hernia at the same time.
Bernieís PSA went down to 3, then started rising again, so he underwent more than 30 radiation sessions in December 2002 and January 2003.
A month later, Bernie contracted an E. coli infection from a blockage near his right kidney. He was worn down, Wanda said. His doctor told Wanda to call their five children ñ he didnít think Bernie would make it through the weekend.
He didnít know Bernie very well.
The doctor put in a stint to drain the infection, and Bernie started his remarkable recovery.
Walking got him going
Bernie couldnít lift anything at first; in fact he could barely walk. But sitting in a recliner one day, Bernie decided heíd start walking. It was slow going at first ñ it took 90 minutes to go the three miles to town and back home.
A couple months later it was a walk to town and a jog home. He remembers the day he broke an hour for the three mile walk. Then he jogged both ways and got under 45 minutes. ìI thought that was really great,î he said.
One of his first organized runs ñ a walk, really ñ came with his daughter, Lori Herkert, in Madison, Wisconsin. It was for cancer survivors. ìNow we go every year,î Bernie said. Family involvement is an important part of Bernieís running.
More little races followed, then a half marathon of 13.1 miles in Ashland, Wisconsin, last year. Bernie was 3rd in his age group of 65-69 with a time of 2:18:18.8. He ran it with his son, Mike, a former runner who was inspired to get back into running by his father.
Bernie ran his first-ever marathon on October 14 of this year at the WhistleStop CenturyTel Marathon in Ashland, WI. Mike accompanied him again. Bernie finished 4th in his age group with a time of 4:43:20.2.
Mike and Bernie crossed the finish line at the same time. Bernie felt a little bad about that ñ he figured he was slowing his son down. But he also knows it helped him keep going.
Mike paced him well, Bernie said. ìItís just an amazing feeling when you cross that finish line.î
Bernie runs in the Caledonia area a lot for training and just because he enjoys it.
One time he ran to Freeburg, then headed up County Road 24. He ran past the old Davy School, where he attended first grade under the teaching of Lois Davy. Then he got to County Road 3, turned around, and headed home. It took him about seven hours to go that 26 mile distance, but he did it
These days he is taking shorter runs during the week, then a longer one on the weekend. Heíll often head down County Road 249, past his old farm where his son David now lives, and on to Crooked Creek Valley. Itís hard to imagine a more beautiful run, or a more rigorous one.
ìI hope to keep doing that, because I feel good doing it,î Bernie said. He likes it a lot.
ìWhich we think is absolutely crazy,î Wanda said ñ again, with a twinkle in her eye.
Bernie said running is good for his immune system.
And his mental health, Wanda added.
ìWhy would you beat yourself up if it wasnít doing anything for you,î Bernie said.
Any knee problems? No, Bernie answered, and heís got good lungs and a healthy heart too. In fact, heíd never had any health issues until the prostate cancer appeared.
Seventeen years of teaching and not one sick day, Wanda added.
He exercises daily too, with 100 sit-ups every night. ìAnd Iím up to 20 push-ups now,î he said.
When Bernie starts something, he sees it through, Wanda said.
Kids are impressed
Mike Pieper, 36, thinks it is impressive and courageous for his dad to keep pushing at his age. ìHe seems to be getting the results,î Mike said.
ìItís kind of fun to get together three or four times a year and do these little runs on weekends,î Mike added.
Mike, who lives in Dresbach, had been a runner in his twenties, but had dropped the hobby. But he figured if his father could do it, he could get back on the horse too.
Watching his dad regain his energy and endurance was pretty amazing, Mike said.
Daughter Lori said that the first year after her dadís surgery and radiation, he did a 5K cancer walk in Madison, Wisconsin. ìHe could barely walk the five K,î Lori said. Now he is running 10K under 60 minutes.
The walk has become an annual event for Lori and her family. She recalled something her mother said, that most people on the walk have pictures of people that they have lost to cancer. ìWe were running it with our dad instead of a picture of him,î Lori said.
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