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09/20/2017 08:30 AMAmong the crowds of people crossing the finish line at this year’s East Haven Community Classic 5K Road Race was a memorable face: 92-year-old Herman Bershtein.
A dedicated runner with an impressive 19 marathons to his name, Herman come to the sport later than most. After suffering a “mini-stroke” in 1976, a doctor asked about his exercise. Herman’s answer was simple: “Golf.”
Even though the course at Yale is “one of the toughest in the country,” Herman says his doctor advised he take up more intensive exercise. Herman began walking then jogging around his neighborhood for a quarter-mile at most when he was beginning, eventually increasing to a half-mile, and then to a full mile. Eventually, he joined his son, Richard, when he came home on weekends from Columbia University, on longer runs of two to three miles.
Richard asked his father if he wanted to run the New York City Marathon with him.
“Once he knew the applications were printed, he would get an application for me, and he would physically run to the post office as soon as he got it to get a postmark to get me in,” Herman says.
Herman has completed an impressive list of world-reknowned races, with five New York Marathons and four Boston Marathons to his name. He has his training regime down, starting the hard work months before the big day.
“In order to run a marathon, unless you’re a genius or an ironman, you’ve got to start training about six months in advance,” Herman says.
Herman began running in East Haven 30 years ago, setting out from his condo where he lived during the summer months.
“I’ve been running East Haven for forever; for a long time,” Herman says, adding that it’s how he became friendly with Race Coordinator Judy Sittnick and her husband.
At this year’s East Haven Community Classic 5K Road Race, for the first time, Herman required some physical assistance to complete the course. However, when he approached the finish line, Herman was greeted by a large crowd cheering him on as he crossed—something else he says had never happened to him before.
“From questioning if I was going to finish before that, after the ovation, I said to myself, ‘Okay, I’m now ready to do a marathon,’” Herman says, “That’s the kind of lift it gave me.”
In addition to marathons in New York and Boston, Herman also runs marathons in Chicago, Bridgeport, Narragansett, Rhode Island, and the Rocky Neck area of Niantic, as well as many shorter races.
“I’ve done 19 marathons in all, and I’m trying to make it 20,” Herman says.
Medical problems have prompted Herman to cut back on his race schedule. On the course at Rocky Neck, he wasn’t feeling well, so his girlfriend Lucy LaCava convinced to him to forget the full marathon and complete the half instead (as he tells it, she grabbed his arm and physically yanked him over to the half marathon course).
“If it weren’t for her, I probably would not have made that full marathon,” Herman says.
Running isn’t the only thing that keeps Herman busy—he’s still practicing law at his firm in Hamden, where he’s practiced since 1954. Herman now works alongside his son and his two daughters, Joy and Jan.
A proud grandfather to 10, he splits shares his professional salary into his grandchildren’s education funds to support their college tuition.
“I like to keep up with the law, and what better way to spend money than for the kids’ education?” Herman asks.