Hot Chocolate at the Finish Line

On Saturday, January 21, I ran the Hot  Chocolate 10-K in Asheville.  It was billed as the flattest course in a city notorious for its hills.  And except for the downhill start and the uphill finish (on “Hill Street” – what else could you expect?) it lived up to its word, with pancake-flat miles for about five of the miles.  Rain, predicted at 100% all morning, miraculously held off, and there was even some blue sky and sunshine just before the race.  (Some thought this was because of the presence of the Methodist Preacher and his influence over the weather!)  It did eventually begin raining half-way through the race, and there were many puddles on River Road (appropriately enough), which may have slowed times somewhat.  But it was a good race, well-organized, and the promised hot chocolate at the finish was a welcome beverage to the cold, rain-soaked participants.  Fred Motz ran especially well, taking first place in his age group in a race with over 1200 participants.

It was very moving to me to run this race on roads that, in my past, I used to commute to work on when I lived in Asheville in another life.  I was an unhealthy person then and a non-runner, so it was especially meaningful to return nearly four decades later a healthier and more positive person:  in other words, a runner.

  

Although I did not see him, Martha talked to the legendary Charles Dotson before the race.  This 89-year-old runner (yes, that’s not a typo – he will turn 90 this year) ran this race in an incredible 1:14:35!  What an inspiration to us all.  Growing old is indeed not for sissies!