Gary from Ace Donut keeps giving back while preparing for first Boston Marathon

“Gary” Tuan Huynh in front of the donut rack near closing time at Ace Donut on Wednesday. The rack is full with donuts when the shop opens at 4 a.m. every day. (Photos Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Everybody who comes into the Ace Donut Shop in Irvine knows the man who runs the place as “Gary.”

He’s always there with a smile to welcome his customers of all ages.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

Gary is Tuan Huynh, the owner of the donut shop located at 14474 Culver Dr. But he’s more than just the owner, he’s also an avid supporter of Irvine High School athletics and very much a part of the Irvine community.

The shop has been at its same location since 1979 and Gary is the fifth owner.

“There are a couple teams that we sponsor,” he said. “A lot of the customers are regular customers and I like to help out, especially the kids who come here.”

Gary said he took over the shop about 10 years ago.

“I was unemployed in 2009 and a friend asked me to come and run the shop with him,” he said. “I purchased it off of him. I enjoy what I do because I see my regular customers all the time. My customers become like family here.”

Photos of some of the Irvine High sports teams are on the walls at the shop.

Gary has had a full plate lately.

Besides running the donut shop, he’s been planning to run Monday’s 123rd Boston Marathon for the first time. More than 30,000 runners have signed up to run the 26.2 mile course.

“This is going to be my 12th marathon,” he said. “It took me three and a half years to qualify. My first one was the LA Marathon. I came in at four hours and 18 minutes and my last one (in Ojai) which I qualified for Boston was three hours and 14 minutes.”

Gary, 45, became interested in marathons when he first heard about the LA Marathon.

“LA Marathon came up and I wanted to get in shape and I said ‘let’s do this.’ I guess the first one got me hooked because the first one I came in in a good time,” he said.

Gary has run two LA Marathons, two marathons in San Francisco and three in Ojai, where he qualified for the Boston Marathon.

While running the donut shop, Gary has been preparing for the marathon by running as much as 83 miles a week. He and his wife, who live in Diamond Ranch, are also raising two children, ages 17 and 13.

His average run is around eight miles a day and “it takes me sometimes an hour and a half. My long run on the weekend is around two hours, or two and a half hours,” Gary said.

“It does keep you in shape. It was tough, but I wanted to run Boston one time in my lifetime,” he said.

Gary has been involved in athletics before. He played basketball and badminton at Covina High School and ran track when he was in elementary high school. He has also played table tennis.

Now, he’s looking forward to the biggest competition of his life.

“I’m excited, more than nervous,” he said. “It’s a big stage. It’s going to be cold and rainy. I want that medal bad and I want to get to that finish line. Last year, 1,700 runners couldn’t finish because of hypothermia. Just tying to finish is the goal right now.”

Gary said he plans to hydrate before the race. He expects to burn around 3,500 calories.

“I’ll be carrying one bottle of 12 ounce Gatorade (bottle) and I’ll grab some water at the water stations when I need it,” he said.

Gary has set a goal for the marathon.

“I’m going to enjoy it, my goal is to do anything under 3:30, this one I’m not on a time trial. I’m aiming for 3:20.” he said. “You’ve got to respect the course. The course is very tough and very hilly at the end.”

Gary said he isn’t sure if more marathons are ahead for him because of all the obligations he has.

“This might be my last one,” he said. “I think I’m just going to run for fun instead of trying to race. Every race I run, I want to run a good race. So I want to put 100 percent into training and it’s getting tough to find time because my kids are getting older. It’s a little tougher to handle with the family life and the job. “

Gary will undoubtedly have many of his customers and his friends cheering for him from long range while he runs the marathon on Monday.

They realize what he has done with his life and how important he is to the Irvine community.

“Gary came to this country when we was young and went to school here and did so many things in his life in sports and graduated from a university and decided he wanted to run a business, not only to run a business to make money, that’s important because it’s survival, but also to give back to the community,” said Teresa Mercado-Cota, an Irvine resident. She and her husband, Victor, have had family members play sports at Irvine.”

Mercado-Cota said she believes that Gary is a role model for young athletes.

“I think when people make it in this country, the fact that you give back is so important, and he does give back to some of the local teams,” she said. “He gives discounts on donuts and pastries and I’ve met his wife and his children and he makes sure they are doing well in school and in addition to that, he’s a marathon runner. Even though he’s busy, he finds a way to give back.”

One of her sons, Gabriel Cota, the baseball coach at Irvine, added:

“They’ve been right down the street and they get Irvine kids left and right. They’re always willing and able to help out as much as they possibly can. It’s great to have them in the community and let our kids know that people out there support them.”

Gary will also have plenty of support from his family.

“They’re all going with me to Boston, they’re excited,” he said.

For donut lovers in Irvine, the shop will remain open during the marathon Monday. It’s open from 4 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. seven days a week.

“I have a family who is going to help me take care of it,” Gary said.

Gary’s customers will undoubtedly be happy to hear that.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com