Bart ran in the Southcliff Black & Blue Classic Saturday and really had a fun time. Using this as a training run for the upcoming Table Rock 50k in three weeks, I’m very proud of him. He’s 72 now and doesn’t let anything stop him from doing what he wants to do.
The Black & Blue Classic is a steep technical trail race. He ran the 6.8 mile Black race which is pretty much up the side of a mountain and back down.
Most of the runners I watched finishing the run were pretty beat up, sweaty, mud covered from falling, cuts, abrasions and complaints of multiple bee stings.
When I saw Bart at the end of his run heading toward the finish line, I was thrilled to see him in good form with a big smile.
After the finish, I looked him over and said, wow you look great compared to so many other runners. Bart laughed and told me, ya know, there are advantages to running in the back of the pack. The trail is cleared from spider webs, all the tripping rocks have been kicked up and rolled over so you can see where they are, and all the bees have been stirred up and have moved off the trail.
I looked over Bart’s legs, no mud, cuts or abrasions, and I said, you look good. So many runners fell during the race. I still don’t understand how you managed not to fall on such a technical run? To which he replied in his best Clint Eastwood voice, A man’s got to know his limitations.
Here’s some more pictures from the day.
Our Simple Life in Asheville 