Larry Bird liked to run

In case you didn't know from his unmatchable work ethic, Larry Bird really enjoyed one of the conditioning parts of basketball, running.  Larry spoke to Runners World about his love for running amongst other things, and the time he ran right before he scored 60 points vs the Hawks:

Two days before I scored 60 against Atlanta, there was this big five-miler outside of the Boston Garden [it was the 1985 Shamrock Classic]. I ran it in 32 and a half minutes, I think. So against Atlanta I was worried because my hamstrings were really tight, but I got loose and felt better and had a pretty good game, scoring the ball anyway.

Bird's teammate Scott Wedman was also a fitness freak and they'd sometimes run together.

I used to run in local races with [Celtics player] Scott Wedman. We'd run together but kick it up the last half mile or mile to see who would cross the finish line first. Scottie was just a little bit better.

However Wedman remembers it a bit differently himself (from an interview he gave):

Finally, we’re one mile away from the finish line.  It’s downhill.  Larry said, “That’s it, nobody else is passing me.”  And off he went, hitting that last mile in a dead sprint.  For me, it was a chance to see the heart of a champion in an arena other than basketball.   I was able to fully experience Larry’s drive, and his will to win.  It was an incredible sight.

Who else could go out and run a race and drop 60 a couple days later?  Legendary indeed.