On The Run (February 2009)

(This "On the Run" column first appeared February 2009 in The Daily Progress)

The University community and its neighbors suffered a great loss a few weeks ago when Jack Blackburn, UVa’s longtime Dean of Admissions, died after a courageous battle with cancer. This extraordinary man was loved by all who knew him and I doubt that there has ever been a kinder, more sensitive and caring person in his position at any other institution of higher learning in the nation. Our entire community benefited from Jack’s influence as he and his staff consistently invited some of the finest young people to attend this wonderful university each year.

One of Jack’s favorite hobbies was running and he always looked forward to participating in his favorite race, The Charlottesville Ten Miler. Each spring he would make a point of stopping by for a visit to chat with me about his personal goals for the race. He really enjoyed competing in this special event and he took particular pleasure in running alongside one of his own children each year. He especially appreciated the whole concept of racing through Jefferson’s Grounds amidst so many of the students he had personally admitted to the university.

So, so many of us are already missing you, Jack and not having the beloved Dean of Admissions running in the crowd, alongside so many of “his” fellow Wahoos will be a real loss for the Ten Miler this spring.

Ten Miler Update: And speaking of The Ten Miler, there is still time to enter the area’s oldest footrace, which is set for Saturday April 4. Race Directors Alice and Dan Wiggins are encouraging folks to enter as soon as possible as numbers are running ahead of last year’s record. Visit charlottesvilletrackclub.org for more information. This year, all proceeds from this special event will benefit PACEM.

Charlottesville Track Club Bestows Annual Awards: And while we’re on the subject of the CTC, the area’s premier not-for-profit running organization recently hosted their annual awards banquet. Several dozen folks were recognized for their personal accomplishments, including over a hundred volunteers, who helped the CTC raise over $400,000 for a variety of local charitable causes. Here is a sampling of some of the more notable award recipients…Runners of the Year: George Heeschen (18-24), Jason Buczyna and Becky Keller (25-29), Andrew Zapanta and Robin Truxel (30-34), Barry Young and Jennifer Hochrein (35-39), Doug Bloor and Nicola Ratcliffe (40-44), Hernan Garbini and Andrea Wright (45-49), Harry Landers and Wendy Golden (50-54), Joe Stirt and Connie Friend (60-64), Skip Mullaney and Nancy Davis-Imhof (65-69), Nancy Fraser (70-74), Wendell Golden (80+); Most Improved Runners of the Year: George Rich and Kristen Hennings-Solomon; CTC High School Runners of the Year: Nathan Rouse (Albemarle) and Holly Rich (Monticello); CTC Coach of the Year: Doug Bloor; CTC Community Service Award: Anthony Wenzel and Dominion Digital.

The evening’s most prestigious honor, The CTC Lifetime Service Award, was bestowed upon Chris Samley, who has selflessly given over ten years of volunteer service as the club’s official webmaster.

On the Road Again: Several area runners competed in a variety of long distance races around the country over the past few weeks. On a 75 degree February morning Rick Kwiatkowski finished 5^h overall (out of 175 finishers) in 7 hours and 13 minutes at The Rocky Raccoon Fifty Miler in Huntsville Texas; Robin Truxel completed the brutally challenging Death Valley Trail Marathon in 4:29; William Cox led a contingency of area marathoners into the chutes as he finished 12^th overall (out of 1,970 finishers) in 2:48 at The Myrtle Beach Marathon. He was followed by Lauri Wilson (3:23…1^st in age group), George Rich (3:29), Hosni Haghighian (3:30…1^st in age group), Glen Anderson (3:35), Peggy Mowbray (3:42…2^nd in age group) and Jerri Emm (4:08)…and speaking of long distance feats, area ultra marathon champ Sophie Speidel recently completed her annual “run around the city”, as she and a group of friends ran the entire 20 mile RTF urban greenbelt trail loop.

Cavalier High Octane: First year UVa Track coach Jason Vigilante has only been in town for a few months and yet he already has his athletes setting blistering times on the track. UVa speedster Morgane Gay, a first year from Bethesda, recently rocketed to a school record 2:08 indoor 800. Incredibly, it was Gay’s first collegiate race and her amazing mark broke a long standing record that had been in the books since 1985.