One of the benefits of running is that you meet a variety of people at the races. It is easy to meet local runners either while running around town or at group gatherings for a social run. At races the chance of meeting more runners from other cities occurs after you see them at several other races. When you hang around after the race waiting for the award ceremony and stop at the refreshment table there will be conversation about the run and a race you both ran a few weeks ago.
I had a chance to meet more than my share of runners when I became a race director and hosted various races in San Marcos. The Better Half Marathon lasted 33 years and many of the entrants were repeat runners so meeting and talking with them was easy. I usually drifted around after the race talking with the runners and asking them about the race so I could find out what was the good part of the race as well as what needed to be improved for next year. Every race was a learning process to improve the event and make it better.
The meeting of runners at our races was carried over to races that I entered in other towns and met the same runners that were at our races. It is amazing how fast you get to know these same runners and begin to share stories and training tips. The usual meeting is at nearby area races within a short driving distance of a couple of hours. It can also be out of state when you meet runners that you know. I was running the Chicago Marathon and saw another runner in the crowd wearing a pair of Texas running shorts. As we ran along, I yelled a greeting to another Texas runner. He returned with a “Hi, Moe, I’ve run your race several times. Good to see you.” You never know when you will meet a runner you know from running in area races and even out of state races.
There is a slight problem with getting to know other runners as the years go by. It seems a statement of ‘Time changes things’ starts to be more prevalent. I started running in 1979 and have been putting on races since 1980. It is hard to imagine that is 45 years of being associated with running in one way or another. Over the years the toll of running into your friends at races seems to diminish. Some move to other towns or states, some get injured, some just get too old to run, and some of them have died. There is always the chance to meet new runners and add to the number of running friends during these years but it just isn’t the same as greeting an old friend from years past.
This weekend I was helping with the Kiwanis Pumpkin Dash 5k out at the LaCima subdivision and was talking to Alan Atchison. He and I have been running in races for many years. He is now in the 70+ age division where the numbers are not usually that plentiful. As we were talking about runs and stuff from past races he said, “You know, I don’t know any of these runners in this race.” It was a small turnout race so that was a possibility but as I looked around, I noticed that I didn’t know any of the other runners in the race. That longevity of age had caught up with us. We were still active in running circles but many of the runners we knew were getting fewer and fewer. The small number of runners made this a real possibility but looking back at other races it seems many of the regular runners I know have been seen less and less. It is similar to high school class reunions where as the number gets higher you see fewer and fewer classmates. How many were at your 50th class reunion? Between dying and moving away the numbers get smaller. Cherish your “older” running friends as they are the ones to share old memories and are your contact to the younger years when you ran faster.
