Bob reached the big 5-0 on April 30. For many people reaching 50 means packing up the old running shoes and storing them in the basement, and then bringing the rocking chair out onto the porch, kicking the feet up on the railing, and taking it easy.
But not, Bob. He just tightened his laces a littler harder and picked up the pace. Once he turned 50, Bob got right down to business. On May 4, he entered the Broad Street run and WON the 50+Masters division in a time of 59:18.
At the end of the month, it was the same story. At the Charley Horse Half Marathon, outside of Reading over Memorial Day weekend, Bob won the masters division, even with a two minute excursion off course. Bob was third overall in a field of more than 250. The Charley Horse, like all the Reading trail races, is a monster with lots of interminable hills and rugged trails. Bob still managed to finish the half marathon in 1:45:22, which is an excellent time even for a road race.
In between these events, Bob managed to lay out a course for one of the races in the Wanderer May trail series, and he introduced a number of new features. The Athlete of the Month selection committee was especially impressed with Bob’s attention to detail. For instance, providing a beer cooler at the end of the race was a huge breakthrough and was a big hit with the runners. Bob also added a psychological component to the races by sending runners on detours up steep hills right before the finish line and for routing the course on paths that were little more than goat tracks.
For all these performances, Bob has earned the Athlete of the Month award for May….and the title “Trail Master.”