Walt Stack (September 28, 1908[1] – January 19, 1995) was a hod carrier by trade and an icon of the San Francisco, California running community.

He moved to San Francisco after a beef related to redbaiting and continued going to sea, working as a marine firefighter.

"[10] The message conveyed both his wisdom and a sense of enthusiasm for middle and back of the pack fun runners, and the slogan has been emblazoned on all the club's jerseys ever since.

At the DSE races, which have taken place nearly every weekend in and around San Francisco since the 1970s, Walt was usually the master of ceremonies and presenter of ribbons to the top finishers.

Starting on his bike, he would ride six hilly miles from his Potrero Hill home to Fisherman's Wharf.

Once there, he'd strip off his shirt, displaying tattoos of peacocks, wild horses, and bathing beauties across his chest, and then proceed to run a 17-mile (27 km) route over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back, after which he would take a one-mile (1.6 km) swim in the currents of the San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island.

He had in fact swum the distance many times in his later years, as a participant in sanctioned Alcatraz swims which have become quite popular.

[12] In 1982 he participated in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and he holds the event record for most time taken to finish, in dead last place.

Surviving the ocean swim rather effortlessly, Stack commenced the 112-mile (180 km) long bike ride on his single speed granny-basket bike, and finished the 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) marathon run early the next morning, but not before stopping in for a full waffle breakfast prior to finishing.