John Michael "Mike" Havrilla

Mike has been a runner for over 30 years and has completed 22 marathons between October 1995-2012 with a personal best time under 2:55 at Pittsburgh in May 1999. He was inspired to begin running in junior high school by his wrestling coach, Doug Conlon, who was a runner and Boston Marathon finisher. Mike completed his first marathon in October 1995 in Johnstown, PA at age 18 and qualified for the 100th Boston Marathon, which he completed in April 1996 during his first year of college.

Most recently, Mike completed the Johnstown Path of the Flood 14-mile hybrid trail/road race (finish line picture) in 1:40:11 in which he placed first overall (RESULTS) in May 2026. Prior to that, he finished 17th overall in a field of 1,981 runners in the Key West Half Marathon (RESULTS) in January 2026 with a time of 1:29:48. Mike's notable marathon results are highlighted below, including four races completed under 3 hours and four additional races completed under 3:05 along with his first two races in Johnstown and the 100th Boston Marathon.

While not training or racing, Mike works full-time as a remote pharmacist with a schedule that includes three 12-hour days weekly and an additional 6-hour shift bi-weekly. Mike has been a licensed pharmacist for over 20 years, and he earned a B.S. (Biology) degree from the University of Pittsburgh (Johnstown campus) and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Pittsburgh. Mike lives in the small town of Portage in Western PA with his loving wife, Katie, who is a preschool teacher, and his daughter, Gracie, who is in college. Mike's parents, Barb and John, continue to provide support and encouragement as they have throughout his life and time as a runner.

Mike developed the minimalist 8-day anchor training program specifically to maximize performance and prioritize injury prevention while leaving ample time for demanding work schedules, recovery and family. He trained for his two most recent races using this method and it yielded exceptional results while allowing him to remain injury-free while maintaining good overall health in his late 40s. The core strategy of this program is to establish an anchor day (e.g. Saturday) to complete long/hard training runs with only 1-2 additional running days in between, providing flexibility to meet your race goals (i.e. half marathon vs. marathon and finishing time) while providing open days for recovery and strength training to maintain balanced overall fitness. This method replaces the standard 7-day weekly training cycle with an 8-day program that focuses on an anchor day to consistently complete your longest and hardest running workouts. Want to see how the 8-day cycle breaks down? Please check out the Method page to see how to establish your own anchor day.

Below are certificates for my first two marathons including the 100th Boston Marathon, which was my slowest time but most memorable experience and largest race.

Below are my marathon certificates for four races completed in under 3 hours along with four additional races completed between 3:00-3:05, including my personal best time under 2:55 in Pittsburgh (1999) and most recent time under 3 hours in Johnstown (2010).

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