The Old Runner

Since we first ran this race two years ago, it has more than doubled in size. This year 520 runners finished the Bunny Run 5k, the City of Concord's annual Easter race. Despite the name, which reminds me as much of an Easter egg hunt as it does a road race, it's a well organized race and is a lot of fun. The race used to be run on neighborhood streets along with a trip up the greenway, ending at the other park (I don't remember the name of it) about a mile away. That was a little bit of a problem in that when the race was over you were a mile away from your car if you parked near the starting line. This year, however, the course was changed to an out-and-back course up the greenway so that the starting line and finish line were at the same place, which resulted in not only a great improvement in parking logistics, but it eliminated all of the hills except in the final 100 yards or so at the end of the race. As the race began I was a little concerned that we were running d...

This week at the last moment Linda and I decided to run the Marti Estes 5k in Mooresville. Our friend Michele Hoheiser, who was 1st overall female last year, said it was a lot of fun so we decided to meet up and run it. Marti Estes was an avid runner, kindergarten teacher, committed Christian, and faithful member of First Presbyterian Church in Mooresville. Marti passed away prematurely in 2005 and the church holds this fundraising race in her honor each year. This year's race had 624 registered runners and walkers and raised $22,500 for three charities in Mooresville. The race began at First Presbyterian Church and after winding its way through town ended at the First Baptist Church several blocks away. The race was enjoyable but the start was a mess, with lots of younger kids lining up at the start and flailing around for the first half mile or so of the race. It amazes me how most kids seldom run in a straight line. I don't really mind, but it can get a little dangerous ...

This was my 21st half marathon, and surely my most memorable. I met my 23-year-old grandson, Ryan Joelee Kennedy, for the first time. I know what you're thinking, so before you get out pencil and paper and start figuring out how I'm old enough to have a 23-year-old grandson, suffice it to say that it's definitely mathematically possible. Ryan contacted my now 43-year-old son Everette just a few months ago and informed him that he (Ryan) was his son, in much the same that Everette had called me up when he was 23 years old, and that's when we met for the first time. The whole story has more twists and turns than a barrel full of snakes, so I'll leave it at that for now, and if you'd like more details you'll need to wait for the TV movie. The initial plan was for all three of us -- Everette, Ryan, and me -- to get together and run the half marathon. Everette's training never quite get off the ground, and since he would have had to fly all the way across t...

It was a privilege to run my share (12.5 laps) as the 19th leg of the World Record setting 100 x 5k relay with the Charlotte Running Club this weekend. I think the Charlotte Observer got most of it right except for the ages of the participants being from 14 to 56 years old... there was one 59-year-old out there too (that would be me). You can read the Observer story here... Runners chase Guinness World Record - CharlotteObserver.com Our combined time of 30 hours, 56 minutes, and 49 seconds beat the old record set by the Florida Striders a few months ago by over 6 hours. The almost constant rain didn't make things any easier but runners are seldom deterred by getting wet. Congratulations to all who participated as runners, organizers, and volunteers!

It's not every day that I drive 600 miles one way to run a half marathon, but this is not only a great race to run but it's also a major race in the Running Journal Grand Prix , and for the past couple of years that's been a big focus of my race season. At the age of 59 I'm most likely not going to make the next Olympics, and this provides me with some extra incentive to train harder than I might otherwise. Next year I'll be changing age groups in the middle of this Grand Prix series so I won't be competing in it then since my points would be split between two different age groups. Linda and I are truly pioneers when it comes to traveling by car. Or at least we travel like pioneers, making almost as many stops and moving about the same speed as a mule-drawn Conestoga wagon . We finally made it though, mules intact, and were treated to great racing weather. For me, that's about 60 degrees at the start and upper 60s by the finish of the race, which is a litt...

The Gate River Run is the largest 15k race in the United States. It's the national 15k championship and there's $80,000 in prize money for American runners, so it attracts some of the best runners in the country. Personally, I'm really partial to smaller races with no more than a couple thousand people. It's nice for there to be enough people to create some excitement, but I don't care for the traffic jams getting to the race expo, the logistics of how to get to and from the huge races, hundreds of people running shoulder-to-shoulder throughout the race, and of course, it's nice to have a chance to place in the top 3 in my age group, which is never going to happen in a race of this magnitude. So with my preference for small races, you may be wondering why I would drive 400 miles to run in a huge race, especially with so many good smaller local races on the same weekend. The reason is that I'm participating in the Running Journal Grand Prix , and the Gate...

Today was a big running day for the Hefner family. Not only did Linda run her first race after a layoff of a couple months due to knee pain, but our 30-year-old son Dave ran his first 5k race ever. It was the first time Dave had even been to one of our races. Yep, it took 117 races before he managed to make it out to see his parents' weekly near-death experience. One of my main reasons for becoming a runner was to inspire our kids and grandkids to become more health-conscious, and Linda and I are both elated that Dave's getting an idea of why we've become so enamored with running and racing... it's fun! This was only the 2nd year of the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k in Charlotte, and with 1,400 finishers in the race this year it looks like it's one of the fastest growing races in town. The hills weren't terrible but there were quite a few ups and downs throughout the race. I lined up near the front and talked with Steve Staley, who always gives me a hard time wheth...