Charlotte Observer Running Blog Features The Old Runner


If you’re a runner in the Charlotte area you most likely already know about the popular Charlotte Observer running blog, “Run, Theoden, Run,” which is written by local running enthusiast and Observer entertainment editor Theoden Janes.
Theoden was very kind in profiling me in his blog today and in case you missed it here’s a link so you can read it…
Thanks Theoden!

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Race #257 - Charity Chase Half Marathon - Hickory, NC - 06/01/14

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This week I revisited the place I call my hometown even though I left it more than half a lifetime ago. It was my fifth straight year of running this race and every time it's been one of my favorite races of the year. The course passes the site where I lived fifty years ago, now just an empty lot full of memories. It passes my old high school, travels past the houses of old friends, and runs along roads where I still remember every curve. Every year it reminds me of how fortunate I am to still be doing what I love, and it amazes me that I'm able to run 13 miles in relative comfort, which is something that I would have thought to be nearly impossible when I was a teenager if running that distance ever even crossed my mind. So no doubt I'm biased in my appreciation of this race, but the Charity Chase should appeal to all half marathoners whether or not they've ever stepped foot in the City of Hickory before race day. It's one of finest races you'll find anyw...
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Race #212 - Run for the Money 5k - Gastonia, NC - 04/20/13

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It's nice to finally be settling in for some local races after all the traveling we've been doing for the past few months. This week's race was in our hometown of Gastonia, and it's the biggest local race of the year. This time around there were 1,235 finishers in the competitive 5k race and hundreds more in the 2k walk. The unique thing about this race is that in each 10-year age group the 1st place finisher gets to direct a $500 donation towards any local participating nonprofit group of their choice, and 2nd place directs $250 towards their choice. For the second year in a row I ran for Career Management Group (CMG), one of the lesser known nonprofit groups. They run Gaston Residential Services (GRS), which provides housing for handicapped adults. Linda's twin sister has been one of their clients for many years and they've done a beautiful job over the years in helping her to be as independent as possible despite being debilitated with cerebral palsy. She...
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Race #519 - Goat Island Games 5k - Cramerton, NC - 05/07/22

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Like last year, this race was again too long by around 0.15 miles. The new 5-mile race was also long by about a quarter of a mile. In addition, there were 5-year age groups, which is good, but they stopped at age 60, which is not so good. Even worse, when they gave out the awards for the 5k they gave awards for the 60-64 age group instead of 60-and-over, so anybody 65 or over was just completely ignored. I was actually 3rd among the 60-and-over runners, but 3rd place was awarded to a 62-year-old who was behind me. This happened for both male and female runners in the 5k, although in the 5-miler they were included. At 70 years old, I think there should be 5-year age groups up to 80-and-over. Does anybody ever wonder how much harder it is for a 70-year-old to run a race than it is for a 20-year-old? Fifty years makes quite a bit of difference. Despite those complaints, I still like the race. It's close to home and Goat Island is a great place for a 5k race. There was also a professio...
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Race #146 - Stanley Creek Massacre 10k - Stanley, NC - 10/01/11

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Y A Y !    I    W O N ! -- Sorry for the inordinate amount of horn-blowing, and I hope I didn't startle anybody, but I'm kinda giddy about the fact that I finally won a race. It's always been in the back of my mind that it would be so cool to actually be at the very front of a race. I'm a pretty fast guy for my age (59) and usually finish in the top 10-15% overall in races, and I've done pretty well in my age group, but when it comes to actually being first overall in a race, that's a position normally reserved for the very fastest and usually much younger folks. Since I only started running at the age of 56, I've never had to worry about whether or not I might actually win a race, and I've been quite content to just do well in my age group. A few times I've been fortunate enough to finish 4th or 5th overall, but there are almost always a few young guns out there who are more than happy to keep me firmly anchored in the reality of my advancing age...
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Race #474 -- Novant Health Lake Norman 15k/5k -- Cornelius, NC -- 09/29/19

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I've run this race several times previously back when it was the Lungstrong 15k and I always ran the 15k until this year. With my self-imposed limit of 10k I decided the 5k would be better for me this time around and when it was over I was glad I chose the shorter distance. The temperature was warm for this autumn race that's usually on the cool side, and the 72 degrees felt fine to me although the 100% humidity made things a little more difficult. It's a pretty big local race with 327 finishers in the 15k and another 349 in the 5k, and when I arrived an hour before the race I was surprised at how many runners were already there. Guess I'll have to leave a little earlier next year. I wanted to run under 23 minutes but I didn't quite make it, finishing in 23:19, but I was happy with being 14th overall. Race Name:  Novant Health Lake Norman 15k/5k Location:  Cornelius, North Carolina Date:  September 29, 2019 Race Rating:  94 Winners: Course (5k...
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