Race the Train

The "Race the Train" race passes right by our house in the Adirondacks. It starts at the rail station in Riparius (elevation 883 feet) and ends at the rail station in North Creek (elevation 1100 feet). That's an elevation change of 217 feet over about 8 miles. Trigonometry says that this is an average angle of elevation of about 1.1 degrees. Big deal.

Okay, there's a killer hill at the start -- maybe 2 miles long. You get some of it back going downhill, but not all.

A scenic tourist train leaves Riparius at the same time as the runners. Along the way, the train stops so that those riding can encourage/taunt the runners. The train continues on to the finish line. About a quarter of the runners beat the train there.

Kathy is the runner. She has run this race twice, and although she hasn't beaten the train, she's finished strong both times.

I am the watcher. I've tried running for recreation a couple of times in my life. I dislike it. People who run also claim to dislike it. I don't think they understand what that word means.

I remember about 20-some years ago resolving to run after practice with a friend of mine. We started around the track and got about a quarter of the way around (which is 1/16 of a mile, if you're counting) before the bugs got so bad that we couldn't possibly continue. Seriously, they were really bad.

That's the last time I've been a runner.