by Ilene Denton

Photography by Matthew Holler

Attorney Will Robinson makes a case for competitive running.

“This morning I was up at 5:30 and ran about nine miles before work."

BRADENTON ATTORNEY, serial marathoner and Ironman triathlete Will Robinson, 39, came by his love of running naturally. The Manatee County native’s uncle and grandfather founded Robby’s Sporting Goods in the early 1970s, merging it with Champs Sports a decade later; and his father and younger brother founded the running retailer, Fit2Run, in 2005.

Robinson, a real estate attorney with Blalock Walters, has competed in four marathons of 26.2 miles each, two ultra-marathons of 50 miles each, five half-Ironman competitions and one full Ironman (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon, all on the same day).

Robinson sometimes brings a pen along on his morning runs and jots notes on his wrist. “I think through my cases when I’m running. I’ll plan out my day that way,” he says.

This summer, Robinson was training for the Ironman 70.3 in Augusta, Ga., that took place in late September. “This morning I was up at 5:30 and ran about nine miles before work; if I don’t get it before work, it doesn’t happen,” he says. Robinson takes one day off each week. “Non-triathletes think I’m crazy. One of my good friends is an orthopedic surgeon; he says I’ll be his most frequent patient in 30 years.”

A favorite running spot is the Robinson Preserve in northwest Bradenton, a 487-acre waterfront park donated to Manatee County by his family.

“I just love going out there” and seeing people enjoy the park, he says. “That’s the nice part about running. People are happy, they’re doing what they love to do.”