BENTONVILLE — Jack Gentry probably never imagined at fi rst that his love for a certain sport would have such an infl uence on the rest of his family. Thirty years after taking up long-distance running, Gentry has seen that just as soon as he takes off , his family is never too far behind.

“My son began running in high school and my daughter took it up later,” Gentry said. “They pretty well have liked it from the start. They just saw me running. I think they just figured, well if the old man can do it then so can we.”

Gentry and his two children, Becka Mulvaney and Cam Gentry, all of Rogers, are heavily involved in running. The love for distance running goes three, and even four, generations deep in some instances in this family. It’s not just a passion to run, but also a deep desire to run exceptionally well.

Gentry, 82, first took up distance running about the time he was 50 after a softball injury led him to another sport.

“I had a son-in-law who was working on his doctorate at the time and he got me into running and it got to be something I like to do,” Gentry said. “I was living in Fayetteville on Mount Sequoyah at the time and I just really enjoyed it.”

Enjoying it was one thing, but to Gentry and his children running became more than just a leisurely trek. Ten years after taking up the sport, Gentry was not only an accomplished distance and marathon runner, but at times a dominant one as well. With annual age division wins at such events as the Tulsa Run, the St. Louis Stadium Run and the National Senior Olympics, Gentry was used to setting records right. He was doing so while in his 60’s.

“Jack is an amazing character,” said Mike Rush of Rush Running in Bentonville. “He is just an awesome guy and I’m telling you he takes running very seriously.”

While Gentry is one of Northwest Arkansas’ most exceptional runners, no matter the age, he might be more proud his love for running has rubbed off so well on others in his family.

“My brother (Cam) started running in high school and he ran cross country and was on scholarship at Westminster University in Fulton, Mo.,” Mulvaney said. “I didn’t start running until I was 35 and my dad started when he was around 50. “I would say dad kind of paved the way and he was our role model.”

Mulvaney, 57 and Cam Gentry, 44, routinely participate in training runs and marathons with their father. The trio will run in the March 13 Bentonville Half Marathon. For a family full of runners, it’s another chance to come together and enjoy one of their favorite activities. This time, Mulvaney thinks it will be even better.

“It’s very special to be able to share the experience together,” Mulvaney said. “We can run together and tell stories about how tough a certain hill was, and it’s great to be able to visit at the fi nish line and share our stories.

“And it’s great to have (the half marathon) locally here and to have an event close to home. We’ll have more family there supporting us and we won’t have to worry about traveling and booking rooms, so that will be fun.”

While Gentry and his son and daughter will be the only family members participating in the Bentonville Half Marathon, they are defi nitely not the only ones in the family who love to run. There’s also Gentry’s grandson, Benjamin Mulvaney, an All-American cross country runner at the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1996 and 1997, and his granddaughter Bethany Mulvaney, a fitness trainer who has run the Tulsa 15K and the Natchez Trace 10K alongside Gentry.

Now the family has a fourt h generation taking up in the sport with great-grandchildren Caleb and Luke Carfaro and Noah Mulvaney showing a love for running.

“There’s a lot of promise there with the great-grandkids,” Gentry said. “They’re already showing a lot of potential.”

While Gentry admits he has slowed down somewhat, his passion for long-distance running surely has not. It’s a passion Gentry first picked up 30 years ago, but one which still continues on strong with him and his family still today.

“Not everybody can run, but I think we all have become committed to a healthy lifestyle,” Mulvaney said. “And we see what an active lifestyle can do for you. I have gone with my dad to the Senior Olympics several times and you see how being active and living that lifestyle can really help you.”

Come March 13, Gentry will join his family on the marathon course once again. Despite his claims of having lost a step over the years, chances are this won’t be the last time this running family heads off to race as one.

“It’s just good to be together,” Gentry said.