BRUNSWICK

There is a time-worn cliche that characterizes father-son relationships as “like father, like son.”

But in the case of the Ashby family, this maxim might better be stated “like father, like daughters.”

It has been said that the family that plays together stays together, and the game this family plays is running. Local well-known marathoner, Robert Ashby, and his two daughters are examples of a passion for a sport that has bred family unity and inspiration. This is about a devotion to a sport which has kept this family close together.

Bob’s fervency for distance running has inherently rubbed off on his two daughters, Jessica and Micaela, and therein has become a story of encouragement and motivation.

“Kids will do what they see,” as he credits the girls’ motivation in literally following in their father’s footsteps.

Jessica is a senior at Brunswick High School and is just seriously getting back into action this year after her second heart surgery last summer. Micaela, a freshman, it would appear is poised to make a real name for herself in distance events competition. As a starter she was named to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference cross country All-Star team last fall and looks to be an integral part of the Dragons’ running hopes this spring.

Bob remembers a few years back when most of his children’s friends were sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

“We would all jump in the family car and head off with the kids who were asking which race they were going to today?”

Later on it evolved into weekend informal “fun runs,” where they met with some success.

Then the girls remember that eventually they started asking, “Let’s go for a run with Dad.”

No pressure, no intimidating or reward-inducing persuasion, just a simple family “stroll” around the streets of Brunswick or on a wooded trail. The kids were getting hooked!

While the girls have remained totally involved, Bob’s two boys, Cameron and Connor, have perhaps chosen other paths. Cameron did run cross country this fall, but has opted for something else this spring.

Connor may informally continue with the junior high program.

The Brunswick Junior High School program has turned out to be the proverbial “perfect coalescence” of a continued low-pressure experience under the direction of Dan Dearing, who stresses fun and personal improvement, an approach that annually draws droves of coed participants each spring. This apparently served as the catalyst for the continued growth and success during the girls’ motivation over the years.

Bob extols the virtues of distance running as a great source of recreation that does not require size, explosive speed, or any particular coordination.

“Almost anyone can run! You don’t need any expensive equipment, just a good pair of running shoes,” Bob said.

However, he did admit that many of his worldwide counterpart marathoners adhere to sandals and in many cases bare feet.

Fran Smith is the mother and “manager” of the family who has painstakingly noted all the racing achievements of each child through the years as well as juggling household meals for practice routines.

Long runs

Bob tries to manage 12 miles a day, along with participating in various family races.

As Brunswick Town Clerk, Fran is adept at multitasking, so this running chronology of individual racing success is just another part of her agenda.

“ Running is such a great activity — it is so individual, everybody gets to participate, nobody gets left out or cut. As for what Bob has meant to the kids, “I wish there were more families that could display positive role models instead of the negative influences that you sometimes read about,” said Fran.

Bob’s love of the sport began as a freshman at Snead High School in Eastport, where he immediately found success in running because it seemed to be “the thing to do” at his school. Cape Cod was the scene of his first marathon, and since then he has run in about 60 races, a number of which he has won. To date his best marathon time is two hours, 31 minutes, and he has also posted impressive marks in 50- and 100-mile races.

But he admits that, “Winning is not the important thing. Just the satisfaction of competing and personal improvement drives me to continue.”

Bob will run his ninth Boston Marathon on Monday during Patriots Day and hopes to have some of his family there as usual to support him. His girls especially have supported his efforts, and Micaela was even in attendance at the fateful race in 2013, although thankfully not near the bomb blasts near the finish line. Bob had already finished the race when disaster struck and was also not near the finish line.

His love of the sport has translated into coaching and race directing, all the while guiding his young family. He has received numerous awards and honors and was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 2016.

But the true measure of his success has been what he has given his girls.

Jessie simply states, “If not for Dad, I would not be running, especially the encouragement and support I got after last summer’s surgery and my return to competition last fall in cross country and this winter in indoor track. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but Dad and the family got me through it.”

She remembers a specific mile race this past winter.

“With about three-quarters of a mile to go, I was ready to quit, but my family kept yelling to me that I could make it. I remember that Micaela was in the same race, and she pulled up beside me and tapped me on the shoulder, telling me I could make it.”

Both girls finished the race.

Even after the second surgery last summer for tetralogy of fallot, her running was restricted. So instead of quitting the sport, she developed an interest in race/walking, which, along with getting back into distance competition this spring, she would like to pursue in an effort to contribute to the team.

In an effort to find Micaela last week for some words of wisdom, she was finally located on the BHS oval in the cool misty late afternoon, long after track practice had ended. She explained during her cool down that she wanted to complete her seven miles for the day.

When asked about how her journey in running first took control of her — “ I used to be interested mainly in basketball, but when I found out I could have some success in running it changed my focus. I obviously got great encouragement from watching my father run, and he has helped me from the beginning with helpful hints and tips about running, and he never really got on my case when I did not have a good race.”

Asked if marathons were in her future, she answered, “Probably, but I want to deal with high school and college first. Actually, I think someday I would like to run a 100-mile race. People really do that, you know! It would be fun!”

Fun? Now that is the mentality of a true distance runner.

Long- time legendary Brunswick High School track coach Dave DeLois certainly is looking forward to the Ashby presence this spring. While he realizes that Jessica’s health issue will be a factor in her overall contribution, he admires all that she is able and willing to do. He sees Micaela as a promising force now and down the road in the future.

And DeLois should know, given his track record of distance runners he and Brunswick have turned out during his coaching tenure. His only disappointment is that local track enthusiasts will have to travel to all away meets to see the Dragons perform since the BHS track is not suitable for competition. However, he knows a newly- formed community track renewal group known as Run- Brunswick is presently at work to make sure that Micaela and several other budding young runners will be able to display their talents in a home meet before they graduate.

Bob and other distance runners continue to see goals and strides being met. With increased training methods and techniques along with improved footwear, he sees times being lowered. Whether or not he sees the two-hour breakthrough for himself in marathons as attainable — “I don’t see that coming soon.”

Of course, many “ oldtimers” may have thought the same thing until Roger Bannister broke the heretofore greatest track record of the time, the four-minute mile, which is commonplace today.

“But there is no end to the human drive toward personal achievement,” Bob concluded, an aspiration he has passed on to his girls.

As for his girls, Jessica’s ambition is a full recovery to where she once was. No small task, but with her grit and family support it is achievable.

And Micaela? She may actually have the world at her feet, knowing full well that the rest comes from the heart and the mind and the inspiration of her father.

But one thing is for sure, they will be “ like father like daughters.” Someone once said, “What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.”