Not Afraid to Sweat
14 Little Stories of Life on the Run
by
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Standing in the teeming rain at the start of the 1988 Minnesota TAC - The Athletics Congress - 20Km run, I didn't think conditions could get any worse. Mother nature quickly corrected me. Three hundred yards into the race, the heavens shattered with a deafening clap of thunder followed by a huge streak of lightning on the darkened sky in front of me. Runners scattered for safety. Those who remained tried to make headway through the small river of water covering the course ahead.
The lead runners had gone with the gun. I tried to stay with the second group but went "out the back door" at half a mile. At the first mile marker I heard a runner approach from the rear. When he was a little back of me, I surged a bit to see what he'd do. He didn't respond but instead faded into the background. At mile two, he approached again. This time the mile marker was at the top of a small rise. I attacked the hill aggressively and again he retreated.
Every runner wants to be an athlete. I mean a real athlete, not just a "citizen runner". Most of us know it'll never happen. "To be a great runner, you must choose your parents well", the old saying went. And I'd been way off base with my selections.
This day, though, things seemed a little different. This guy wouldn't go away, yet he couldn't pass me. At every marker, the citizen runner within me seemed to regress and some kind of athlete appeared. At mile seven he got to my shoulder, and then just as it seemed the inevitable was going to happen, I made one last push. He faltered, seemed to pause, then backed off. At each succeeding mile the footfall sounded, approached, then faded away again. At mile ten, it went away for good.
I had no idea what kind of pace I was running but knew it was fast. I crossed the finish line with a personal record I will probably never best. I waited around at the end, watched my chaser finished, amazed at who it was, a seasoned runner who'd won some races. Had I know his identify at mile one, he'd probably have passed me right there. He eventually saw me. We smiled at each other but never spoke.
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About the Book
This book recounts real situations and incidents that occurred over a lifetime of dedicated long-distance running. Some are funny, like an attempt to run faster by drinking vast quantities of cola, others bizarre as in a well-intentioned road race that went completely astray. All are unique. These stories provide a window into an ever-growing sport in the US—long-distance running and racing.
About the Author
Eamonn (Edward J.) Coffey grew up in Ireland where he attended school & college and played Gaelic football & Rugby. In 1970 he moved to an engineering job in upstate New York. After playing rugby there for a year he moved to South Carolina where he discovered long distance running. His life hasn’t been the same since. Over the years he’s run more than 50,000 miles and finished more than 500 road races. These included 38 marathons 4 of which were Boston Marathons. He feels long distance running is one of the most positive, life affirming, things he’s done in his time on this planet. He thinks there are few better feelings than finishing a long distance run or race and knowing you’ve given it the best you’ve got.