This was taken at the Ridgewood Memorial Day Run in 1978, shortly before my family moved out of Ridgewood and back into New York City. I remember this day as being very hot and that more than one person had to be taken to the hospital. The race itself was uneventful for me, except for the fact it was one of the last ones I ran. This was the spring after my freshman year in college and my interests were no longer centered around running, as they had been in High School. This largely had to do with my missing my old running mates and track coaches from Ridgewood, and the fact Dickinson College had much to offer in terms of diversions. It came down to this: going to the track each afternoon for practice didn't really interest me anymore. I had so many good memories from my Ridgewood track days that running with new teammates, and for a coach who actually smoked cigarettes in the locker room, was more of a chore than it should have been. Yes, during our Ridgewood days we froze in the winter, and were rained upon in the spring and fall but it couldn't deter me from remembering those as good times. Who doesn't color their memories this way?
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Paul - I remember that race as well. Mr. Van Yperen (the English teacher, not the PE teacher) went down with heat stroke and kidney failure. He almost died in the hospital as a result. I still remember that when I run on a hot day - it can happen fast.
ReplyDeleteI ran along side of Dick Van Yperen
ReplyDeleteon that day. He was at Valley Hospital for 2 weeks. Thankfully, he has recovered and runs today. He is now Principal of the Eastern Christian Middle School in Wyckoff.
I stopped running in 2009. When I came first in my age group but last overall in a triathlon, I figured it was time to pack it in.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteBarry Nelson here. I was fortunate to have won this 10K race in '78 and I remember it was a hot, humid day. I'm still running...just raced the NYC 1/2 marathon this past Sunday. Thanks for posting this picture...brings back memories.