Bill Rodgers

When Bill Rodgers ran his first marathon in a decade, it was nothing like before. This time, in 2009, the four-time Boston Marathon and New York Marathon champion had fun with friends.

There is nothing like running with a friend, Rodgers said while taking a few minutes away from a hectic day of signing books, posters and shirts during the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon expo Saturday at the Shell Island Resort.

"You will have no fear. You will shock yourself," Rodgers said of running with a buddy.

At 63, Rodgers if full of energy and passion about the sport that became his career in 1975 when he first won the Boston Marathon.

"It changed my life," he said of that first win. Rodgers twice broke the American record for the Boston Marathon and is the only runner ever to hold the championship of all three major marathons- New York, Boston and Fukuoka -- at the same time, according to the Bill Rodgers Running Center.

Rodgers has since retired from the marathon, but is far from slowing down. He runs 30 races a year, promoting the sport and his legendary accomplishments.

"They key is not getting to the finish. It's getting to the start," he said.

Rodgers planned to run the Wrighstville Beach Half Marathon today and speak during a pre-race pasta dinner Saturday night.

"We're thrilled to have such an amazing legend come to the Port City," Wilmington Road Runners President Andy McVey said.

Excitement flourished around Rodgers' booth at the expo.

Sami Winter bobbed up and down, giddy as she waited for Rodgers to sign her 2009 Boston Marathon jacket. She planned to retire that one and wear her new 2011 jacket.

"There's nothing like Boston," said Winter, a volunteer coordinator for the Wrightsville Beach Marathon who ran Boston in 2009 and qualified last year. She'll run it again in April.

Rodgers said running is an open door sport where athletes of all abilities come together for the thrill of the race.

The marathon tends to draw a bigger crowd of runners, Rodgers said, because it's like life -- hard.

"It's very, very hard for everybody," he said, adding the challenge makes for a sense of accomplishment that can't be put into words.

But despite the pain -- even Rodgers has dropped out of races (eight out of 60 career marathons) -- the goal is to have fun, Rodgers said

Whether it be a marathon or the Krispy Kreme challenge, which Rodgers learned about from local runners, running is a crazy sport in a good way.

But there's a serious side too, and Rodgers said no matter the level of runner, everyone should listen to their bodies and take heed.

"To me, everyone should be a professional athlete," he said, pointing to the meticulous attention paid to pros' bodies.

Rodgers attributes his longevity to running on grass and an active childhood. He said in a time when the nation's obesity rate is spiraling out of control, running is making a difference.

Whether it's running a marathon or walking a couple miles, Rodgers said he commends activity.

And it's never too late to start. Rodgers' mother started running at 57 and made it to the Senior Olympics by 70.