December 1999
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Scott Murr
Furman
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A column by David E. Shi.
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InsideFurman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Furman’s Ironman
In a single year, health and exercise science lecturer Scott Murr runs more than 2,000 miles — about the distance between Greenville and Las Vegas.
And the stretch he covers on a bike during the same period will get you from Greenville to Anchorage . . . and back.Indeed, Murr is Furman’s Ironman.
Since graduating from Furman in 1984, Murr, who also directs the Furman Fitness Center, has competed in 22 marathons and more than 100 triathlons (biking, swimming and running). This fall, he returned for the fifth time to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where he was one of 1,500 athletes to compete in the granddaddy of all triathlons — the Ironman World Championship.
The grueling event, held October 23, included a 2.2-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike ride through lava fields, and 26.2-mile run in the Hawaiian heat. Murr completed the race in 10 hours and 45 minutes and finished in 627th place. "I’m faster now than when I did the race the first time in 1991," he says.
Despite being among the world’s fittest people, Murr doesn’t consider himself a natural athlete.
"I probably work harder than most, and I’m focused and consistent," he says. "I really don’t think I’m a natural or gifted athlete. I really believe that with persistence, anyone can do what I’ve done."
A native of Thomasville, N.C., Murr competed on the cross country and track teams in high school. "I was too short for basketball and too small for football, so track and cross country seemed the only sports left."
Murr says he had a difficult time adjusting during his first year at Furman, where he initially planned to major in math. He was considering transferring when he enrolled in HES 10, the introductory course for health and exercise science. There he found his true calling.
"I like being outdoors and I like exercising," he says. "Then I found out about the fitness industry as a career option. I strongly believe that you need to find something that you really enjoy for your life’s work."
His inspiration and motivator at Furman was the late Sandor Molnar, an energetic professor who was fond of challenging students to "conquer" Paris Mountain (a 4.4-mile run to the top of the mountain). Molnar died from a brain tumor in 1987. The HES department organized the Molnar Memorial Mountain Challenge, held each spring on Study Day, in his honor. "I did my first triathlon with Molnar in 1984 and am still inspired by his challenge," says Murr.
After graduating from Furman and working as a fitness director for a YMCA in Hendersonville, N.C., Murr returned to Greenville in 1986 and was the corporate fitness specialist at Fluor Daniel for two years. In 1988 he started his own fitness consulting business, which he ran for four years until returning to graduate school in 1992.
Murr earned his master’s degree in exercise science from Slippery Rock University and his doctorate from the University of Georgia.
During his time away from Greenville, Murr was fond of returning to his alma mater to train with Marty Cook (math), Bill Pierce (HES), Glenn Thrift (staff) and Mark Woodard (math). He says that working out with his Furman colleagues has been a key ingredient in his success.
"It’s almost like I never left," he says.
Murr, who stresses nutrition and consistency in his training, runs 40 miles, bikes 200 miles and swims eight miles in a typical week.
And at 38, he has no plans to slow down. "In this sport you reach your peak in your mid-30s," he says. "I feel I have a few more peak years."