Our previous Runner Spotlight was Sally Moyer who rewrote the age group record book at this year's Polar Bear Grand Prix. This week is her husband Charles Moyer who was second in the 75-79 age group at this year's Polar Bear Grand Prix!
I began running around the age of 39 in 1985, when I realized that if I kept playing basketball I would be forever injured. At that time I was a professor at Texas Tech, and I have continued running ever since. When we moved to Louisville we quickly got involved with River City Races and the Louisville running community. We enjoy running and have made many friends along the way. The Polar Bear Grand Prix series is a favorite, because it provides well-executed and challenging races during the winter, when the race calendar is normally thin.
My favorite running distance was always the half marathon, at least until the time I traded in my original-issue knees for new ones. Along the way I have run the Marine Corps, New York and Pittsburgh marathons. Now I restrict my running to run-walks in the shorter distances. The Polar Bear Series fits this limitation perfectly.
My favorite race was the Winston-Salem Ultimate Runner (see attached t-shirt picture), which I participated in three times. This race series began around 1986 and continues today. The race is limited to 100 runners and is normally run on a late June evening. It consists of 5 events, 4 of which are run on an outdoor track. The distances are 1 mile, 100M, 400M, and 800M. The evening finishes with a Cross Country 5K. Shirts are awarded only to those who finish all events. At the end of the evening there is a delightful beer and pizza party, at which time the finishers' shirts are awarded, and all unearned shirts are burned (in good humor).
Runners are a fun group to get to know. Also, I have learned to enjoy the post-race runner’s high - one of life’s great pleasures (and who knew that you can still get a high from speed walking?). Even though I have had to trade in my knees for replacements, the doctor assured me that the cause of my problems was not my running, but my genes. Post surgery, I am now enjoying the run-walk approach, and I like the challenge of becoming an increasingly fast walker.
Thanks for all that you and River City Races continue to do to enhance the running community in the region.