PUBLISHED 02/02/2006
**The first part of this interview took place when Donovan was preparing for the November 2005 New York City Marathon.
Why do you run?
"Why do I run? It's the best form of exercise. It's totally the core of being in shape. I really feel so good--anytime after the first mile. You start fantasying. You start thinking about things. You start mulling over problems you have. It's a wonderful meditation of sorts."
Are there any comparisons that you can make between running and being an actor?
"A career in showbiz is like a distance run. You have to have patience and pace yourself."
Is there one place to see lots of celebrities running in L.A.?
"If you want to take a run and see stars go around Lake Hollywood Reservoir. I've seen Madonna up there. I've seen tons of actors up there because it's near the studios. A lot of actors live in the Hollywood Hills. It's a nice flat three-mile run."
When did you start running?
"My brother was a big marathoner. He was a great collegiate runner at Beloit College. He won his conference's races and he did tons of marathons. I would go out and run with him every once in a while just to hang out with him. But I was never like into competing or anything until a couple of years ago when I started riding my bike a lot. I got into Lance Armstrong. It's kind of a long-winded story. My father got cancer and he was getting chemotherapy right when Lance Armstrong, the summer of 1999, was winning the Tour de France. No one could believe that he (Armstrong) had cancer. Everyday I would read him (his father) the newspaper to encourage him. The chemo is just a brutal experience. So I got into cycling and a friend of mine started to do triathlons. I said 'I'll train in the cycling part of it all.' So I'd take him on these long rides and do hills. He was like 'Dude, you should do a triathlon.' I swam as a kid and am a pretty good swimmer. And I would run with my brother every once in a while. So I did my first triathlon. Not only did I beat him (my friend) but I won my division. It was the Malibu Triathlon. So I started to get into it and I started doing a lot of triathlons and part of that is a lot of running. The best runners are always the winners of triathlons. Everyone always freaked out about the swim but it's really the run that makes it. I've been doing a lot of running because I've been training for my first marathon, which I'm pretty nervous and excited about."
Which of your brothers was a big runner at Beloit?
"That's Tim Donovan, my eldest brother. He's a great distance runner to this day. His best marathon time is 2:28. My other brother, Anthony, the first time he ever ran a marathon he ran 2:41."
Your family seems…?
"Pretty competitive."
Or a running family?
"Yeah. My image of my brothers is them coming in from a run, stretching and eating breakfast."
