Detroit Free Press: Ilitch School faculty member Mike Silvio says running changed his life
Mike Silvio of Livonia felt crushed by stress and anxiety and wondered how to channel the negative energy that disrupted his life at age 43 — as he watched his employer go through bankruptcy when the auto industry crashed during the Great Recession. Now, a decade later, he is a marathon runner having not just competed on mountains, in deserts and across snow-covered vistas on every continent on Earth, but spending weekends and weeknights guiding others to find the drive to realize their dreams — whatever they may be. “You spend your first 50 years building a resume, and the remainder of your life writing your eulogy,” said Silvio, whose professional life remains in the auto industry, leading a logistics tracking company. But at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Royal Oak Public Library, the husband and father of two teenagers will share life lessons about the nonprofessional passion that changed his life — lessons learned while running about health, family, gratitude and perseverance, despite diabetes and heart issues. In coming days, thousands of runners descend on the city for the Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon, scheduled for Oct. 21. The marathon, which crosses into Canada, is part of three days of activities starting Oct. 19 and including a health and fitness expo, 5K and one-mile runs; a kids run and a half-marathon that stays on the U.S. side of the border. “There aren't many runners who will run at a slower pace to keep you from being alone for 13-plus miles. Michael is the guy who will run with you and wait for you,” said Kristin Meekhof, 44, an author and life coach from Royal Oak.
