Monday, November 24, 2003
Although it is a widespread tradition, for some reason Thanksgiving Day races were never really a part of what I did. When I was a schoolboy runner I don't think there was a race in my neck of the woods, or if there was, it would have required someone else in my family to break out of their traditional activity to get me there. Later, after we moved to Buffalo, we were usually out of town for Thanksgiving, so I didn't run in the Oldest Continuously Run Road Race in North America for the first time until 1996. That year I started the race with bronchitis, and finished with full-blown pneumonia-- in combination with a number of other factors that was the beginning of the end of my ability to boast that I was age group competitive.
I ran it again in 2000. That was the year the big blizzard hit the week before Thanksgiving-- we had planned on being out of town, but since we couldn't dig out, we stayed, and I ran. Because my sister-in-law had kindly invited us to dinner, I thought it best to leave the post-race party early. I was gone all of about five minutes when my name was drawn for the grand prize-- a trip for two to the Caribbean. You had to be present to win, so that was that, but A. now tells me that I am required to stay to the end, so I suppose it all worked out for the best.
Last year I ran it with EGA, and that is my plan this year as well. We will be joined by fellow KRAC members Dave Nuzzo and Jim Jarvis. Two years in a row is not a long time, as traditions go, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.
I ran it again in 2000. That was the year the big blizzard hit the week before Thanksgiving-- we had planned on being out of town, but since we couldn't dig out, we stayed, and I ran. Because my sister-in-law had kindly invited us to dinner, I thought it best to leave the post-race party early. I was gone all of about five minutes when my name was drawn for the grand prize-- a trip for two to the Caribbean. You had to be present to win, so that was that, but A. now tells me that I am required to stay to the end, so I suppose it all worked out for the best.
Last year I ran it with EGA, and that is my plan this year as well. We will be joined by fellow KRAC members Dave Nuzzo and Jim Jarvis. Two years in a row is not a long time, as traditions go, but I'm looking forward to it all the same.
// posted by Bill @ 2:52 PM 
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