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April 06, 2007 |
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It’s a five o’clock world · For 30 years, Tallman
Track Club members depart daily for their run |
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Charleston Gazette |
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Ask not for whom the 5 p.m. bell tolls. It tolls for the runners who set
out from the Named for veteran runner Ken Tallman “because I was the oldest and the slowest,” the club was formed when Tallman, 68, Frank Lewis, 55, Leonard Hager, 53, and Mike Mayes, 61, competed in many of the same races. “One of the real reasons we started running together was that we wanted more chances to beat each other,” Tallman said. Today, their paths loop through “There’s no application or ceremony. Anyone is invited to show up at 5 o’clock,” W.K. Munsey, 51, said. “If you’re still there after a couple days, we figure you’re probably going to stay around.” They run in any weather, although their numbers swell on pretty days, said Munsey, who’s been a regular since 1986. Rain, cold, sleet, snow, heat, humidity and fog won’t stop them, but a tornado might. The runners make their way along sidewalks when possible and navigate through traffic when necessary, talking and joking as they go. They rib each other about sports rivalries and occasionally sit down together at Murad’s or at each others’ homes to watch football games. Once, they even attended a former member’s art showing. “That was different,” Munsey said. Tallman runners welcome new members, but they should have some running experience. The shortest route they run is 3 miles, and they usually take it at about an 8-minute- per-mile pace. Most members ran on their own before they joined the group. “We only have two rules. The first is that we leave at 5 p.m.,” Munsey said. “The second is that if you get dropped off the back [left behind], don’t complain. Don’t ask the others to slow down.” Some ran track in junior and high school, and others like Roxanne Carte took up running 20 years ago as a way to lose weight. Munsey joined after he kept coming up against stiff competition from the Tallman Track Club in races he entered. He still enjoys running on his own, also. “I like both. That’s one good thing about running: you don’t need anyone to play,” he said. “You just need shoes and shorts.” The group provides motivation on days members don’t run well or don’t feel like running, Munsey said. He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone who expects him to show up. He also knows he’s in for a little ribbing the next time he comes if he misses a session without a good reason. More than 100 people have run with Tallman through the years. They come and go with job transfers and demands, health limitations and schedule changes. Engineers, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, bankers, track and cross-country coaches and even a rocket scientist are just a few of the careers represented in the diverse group. Many people who leave stay in touch and return for local races. “I’ve made friends for life. You see them everyday and hear the grumbles and gripes, the triumphs and tragedies,” Munsey said. “I don’t think you can run beside somebody for years and not become friends.” The races and marathons in which Tallman runners have won or placed in the
top 10 percent include just about every notable competition in the nation and
many abroad. This year, two members will compete in the Boston Marathon,
three are going to a marathon in In recent years, fewer Tallman members enter the races that used to occupy their weekends. Instead, they lend a helping hand for local competitions. They help organize races, time runners, mark courses and track results. “We’re giving back to running,” Munsey said. “Of course, we can never give
back what it gives you. It teaches you discipline and to have goals and
self-reliance.”
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