Old Man Mile Preview: Let the Aches Begin

 

The following is the most complete, though still sadly lacking, preview of the much anticipated, 1st annual “Old Man Mile” to be held at St. X on April 17th. It turns out many old guys conveniently have previous “commitments” or “injuries” that have limited the field of this competitive race. (names such as David Flaugher, Glenn McCaslin, Chi Swain, Craig Riedling, among others come to mind…) However, we still expect a strong field with a combined age of about 500 years. Below are the bios for the few competitors we could reach before the event kicks off.

Joe Buechler-Former St. X cross country/track stud and early favorite, Mr. Buechler will unfortunately be sitting out the inaugural “Old Man Mile” due to a “hurt knee.” His injury has been suspect amongst the organizers at St. X, though it does stand to reason a person entered in an Old Man Mile could easily get hurt. Joe will be sitting in the press box for this one, commentating the race, perhaps making snide remarks, and surely wishing he could be down on the track reliving his glory days.

Gary Beavin-Fresh off glory days in high school as a basketball and tennis star at Bethlehem High School in 1979, this late blooming runner is entered into his first track race ever. His one cross country race in high school which involved basketball shoes, a complaint to the coach during the race, and a trip to McDonalds afterwards resulted in a 30 year running hiatus. In recent years he has picked up running again. He has tackled two full marathons and four half marathons in recent years, so this athlete hopes to use his endurance to run his first ever sub six mile.

Timothy Cave-Former all district and all region baseball player for Dupont Manual. He was always known for stealing bases and running down fly balls in the outfield. He has competed in one marathon and many mini marathons throughout his career. Due to a bad Achilles and other lame excuses he has put his racing shoes away for a while now but still runs the same 5 mile route everyday. He is actually being forced by his son and daughter to compete in this "old man mile." It was very hard for me (Thomas Cave) to get him to do this so i used the hip-hop star Drake's motto, Y.O.L.O to get him to compete in this race. This means you only live once. He plans to use this motto to break the 6 minute barrier and ignore all the aches and pains he will feel in this 4 lap war with all the other old men in this race. Let’s just say Mr. Cave is gonna run very brave.

Thomas Stephen-Making his American debut on the track, he has never had an official time recorded, though rumor has it that in his glory days, he could beat anyone in a footrace in the streets of Thodupuzha, India. Entering the field at a whopping 58 years old, he has kept himself in shape by walking every day. However, upon hearing of the Old Man Mile, he has taken up a two week running workout program engineered by his son, Vince Stephen. When Vince first took up this task of coaching his father, he was genuinely surprised at how in shape he was. Looks like all those years of walking on an inclined treadmill are paying off. Using sheer determination, the fact that he's simply in somewhat decent shape, and some brilliant coaching, Thomas hopes to break the 8 minute barrier in the mile, or at the very least, not come in last.

Mark Lewis-After a 30 year competitive running break, the California native is looking to rekindle his competitive distance running spirit. The ex-3000 meter steeplechaser runner, whose last race resulted in him tripping over the final water jump, looks to be a competitive force in the coming race. I tried catching up with Mark Lewis, asking him what his strategy would be for the race, but only got a frustrated response and a frown saying "I cant believe you convinced me to do this..."

John Sheryak- is a graduate of Jesse Stuart High School where he competed in the 330 low hurdles, Mile, 2 Mile, and Pole Vault. He later attended University of Louisville and walked on to its Cross Country and Track teams. John does not remember any of his times, but he does remember that he came in last place in the Metro Conference Cross Country Championships and was beat by someone who walked for part of the race. After a 20 year hiatus from competitive running, John is back for more. John's goal is to not get lapped, not get injured, and to not get beat by someone who walks.