Race Name: Stumblefoot Derby (about 2 Miles)
Race Location: Charlottesville, VA
Number of Years Finished: 8
Years Finished: 1975 to 1978, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013
Best Finish Time (Year): 13:09 (1998) times for the 70s are unknown
Course Description: While in school in the 70s, the race started on Gilmer Field (now the Aquatics Center). The start line was about 80 yards wide to accommodate all runners on the front line.
There was a mad dash across the field, turning right on Alderman Road. A right turn onto McCormick Road followed by another turn between the Chemistry Building and E School. We turned right again before reaching Scott Stadium and then right on Alderman Road, finishing the first loop.
We ran a second loop, and when finished, we continued north on Alderman Road. Crossing McCormick Road, we turned right on a dirt path just past the cemetery. We continued on this path to the finish line in The Dell.
During my first three reunions, 1998 to 2008, the course started on Whitehead Road in front of the Aquatics Center, turning right on Alderman Road and right on McCormick Road. We continued on McCormick Road to the Rotunda, turned around, and retraced to the finish.
In 2013, the University was replacing the McCormick Road bridge across Emmett Street. With the same start/finish location, we crossed McCormick Road then turned right on Lewis Mountian Road. The turnaround was just before reaching Emmet Street.
For some reason, there was no race at my 2018 reunion. I guess the younger classes are not runners. Since there was no race, I skipped my 40th class reunion and timed a few RTU races.
What makes this race a special memory: I can remember a racecourse after 47 years but can’t remember the steps to do a first differential.
I ran the race best in 2008, running consistent splits, and finished strong winning my “Class of 78” classification.
The other three reunion years, I finished second in my class year. I felt strong in each race, running negative or splits within seconds. Absolutely, no bonking.
The consistent years of training helped me understand the feeling of pace. My years in school taught me the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
As I aged from 42 to 52 years old, my finish times slowed by 30 seconds (13:09, 13:39, 14:09) each race and then a full minute (15:11) at age 57. In 2013, I was not racing consistently, which had an impact.
UVA Reunions are in the first couple of weeks of June, with excellent weather for an early morning race. Though there was a little rain in 2003, conditions were always welcoming.
Running the middle of McCormick Road feels more nostalgic than walking the grounds. The smells and memories of the youthful experiences.
I felt better during warmups and cooldown runs in the last four races. While in school, I probably didn’t warm up and definitely didn’t cool down.
In my youth, except for 1975, my second mile was worse than my first, and I hung on until I saw the finish line before pushing. Though I participated in intramural sports, separate conditioning was not on the agenda.
My 45th reunion is coming up in 2023. We only have an organized reunion every five years. UVA has split reunions to two weekends with only five graduating classes per week. Organizers will include my class with 1998, 1993, 1988, and 1983. I hope the older people will have a race. From experience, there didn’t appear to be many fit alumni.
Writing this is a motivator to keep running.
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Over the years, I’ve run 141 different races and finished some of them multiple times. To some, this is not a large number of various events. Over the years, I’ve had some memorable races and have been able to rank my favorite races. If I couldn’t visualize the course and remember how I felt, I moved a race down my rankings.
Other races on my list