Your Runners: Ray Dube Says Boston Marathon on 'Bucket List'

Ray Dube is 66 years old and says he’ll continue running for as long as he is able. He’ll be 67 by the time he runs the Boston Marathon this year.

“I have always loved running, and running the Boston Marathon has been on my bucket list for a long time,” said Dube. “I grew up watching the Boston Marathon for many years when we lived back east.”

A Marlborough native (he graduated Marlborough High School in 1966), and later living in Northborough, Dube’s job took him to the west coast 27 years ago. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, performing professionally for years. Dube works at a South California company, a software salesman for the building industry. He and his wife plan to retire to Florida last next year.

Dube has run in two marathons before: Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, which is the race that qualified him for Boston. In it, he placed first in his age group and got a medal on the podium after the race. He’s also taken part in seven half-marathons and a 5K .

He says watching the bombing unfold on TV two years ago at the marathon immediately inspired him to want to return to Boston for the race.

“When I saw an older man, around 79 years old,” he said, “collapse near the finish line as a result of the bomb blast, I said right then that I was going to train my butt off to run in the race this year. He inspired me.”

In his seventh week of training of a 16-week plan, it’ll take him right up through race day. The plan includes three runs per week, track repeats, tempo runs and long runs of 13-20 miles, plus two days of cross training. Dube also heads out one night every week with a local runners club, trailing from Fashion Island in Newport Beach to the beach.

“We run up and down ramps and stairs and back to where we started,” said Dube, who added that he listens to jazz when he trains. “It is a very intense workout, but I love it.”