“One of Us” is an occasional feature about lives in Maine.
Stephen Bouchard started running the summer after he graduated from Cheverus High School. That was in 1974, and the 66-year-old has been at it ever since.
For well over 45 years, he ran 50 to 60 miles a week – first in Portland, where he grew up, and later in Scarborough, where he worked at the Hannaford supermarket.
Bouchard became well-known in Scarborough as people saw him running every day – sometimes twice a day – on Route 1 or one of the other busy roads, always easy to spot in his pro basketball team warmups and jerseys.
“I started out with a Lakers outfit and a Celtics outfit, and probably should have stopped there,” he says of his collection, which at its largest grew to about 40 full getups – caps and winter hats included.
As he jogs along, people often honk their horns to say hi. He returns their enthusiasm, pointing in their direction as he continues on his way.
“Some people probably wonder if all my marbles are in a row, but that doesn’t bother me. I am just out having a good time,” he says.
He became such a recognized town figure that people posted videos of him on social media, and gave him a nickname: the Route 1 Boxer. That comes from his routine of throwing combinations while he runs, something he learned to do during a stint on the local boxing circuit when he was younger.
“It’s not something you see every day coming down Route 1 in Scarborough,” he says. “Some of the shadow boxing, I think they get a big kick out of that.”
Bouchard lives alone. These days, he works just one day a week at the supermarket. He loves the connection he feels to people when he runs and they interact with him.
He has never owned a cellphone or a computer. He still runs with a Walkman, listening to cassette tapes of his favorites: Van Halen, ZZ Top, Mötley Crüe.
He’s cut back on his mileage now and stopped running twice a day, but he still gets out as much as he can.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my whole life, just on top of the world. I get all kinds of enjoyment seeing people wave, people smile, people pointing, tooting their horns,” he says. “It’s the highlight of my life right now and has been for almost 50 years, out here running.”
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