The Big Man Run is held every August in Worcester Mass. It’s a 4.7 mile run for big men. You must be over 190 lbs to run and qualify for an award. Along the race route you have to stop at three designated bars to eat a hot dog, drink a beer and tip the bartender and/or barmaid before getting back on the route. If you vomit at any time before crossing the finish line you are disqualified.
Today was training day number 1. I have been hobbled the last several years with arthritis in my knees and numb legs. With some recent rehab, things have been improving and I have actually started running. First ¼ mile, then ½ then a 1 mile combo run walk. Today my goal is to run one mile without stopping, and then while walking the next lap, eat a hot dog,and finish the outing with a final ¼ mile run.
It was a chilly morning but the sun was out and it warmed quickly. I drove down to Sterling Field, where I spent so many seasons watching my daughter play softball. They have four fenceless softball fields as well as a goalpostless football sized field with a clay running track around it. I would often run several miles while my daughter's team warmed up before getting my lawn chair and sitting along a baseline to root her team on while eating a burger or hot dog purchased at the snack bar. I love this place so much I have left instructions that when I die, I want some of my ashes spread here at Sterling Field.
The fields are crowded today with youth flag football teams. This was not something they had when my daughter was coming up, but evidently it is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. I feel like a ghost, an old man shuffling around the track, trying to avoid the younger brothers and sisters who sit on the track playing with their toys while their older siblings run wildly with long orange flags trailing from their belts and their parents cheer them on. Some of the parents even stand on the track chatting, unaware that a Big Man in training is shuffling towards them. I go around.
The knees hurt on the first lap, but I alter my motion a little and it feels better. I believe I can do this. I can make the mile without stopping, and I do. I then reach in the pocket of my hoodie and begin to walk the next lap, taking out an aluminum foil wrapped hot dog in a steamed bun. I get a double take from a few people as if to think the old guy who shuffled pat is now eating a hot dog. I am. It takes me three quarters of a lap to get it down, then when I hit the marker, i start running again. No stomach issues at all.
When I finish I hit the timer. 1 mile and a half with a hot dog eaten in 21:27. My mile time was 13:30. Not ready to add the beer yet, but looking forward to it when I do.
Note: 14 years ago, I set a 5K (3.1 mile) personal record of 26:58.