The Day of the Turkey Trot

1. The Coach

As we ran up another hill, we passed a woman pushing her young son in a jogging stroller. Just then, she recognized two women in purple jerseys on the other side of the road and shouted out a greeting. They turned and waved and shouted back.

Mommy, her son asked, how do you know all these people!?

I coach them, remember?

Oh yeah.

2. The Boy

I heard it behind us long before it caught up to us. To tell the truth, I didn't know what I was hearing. It sounded like a dog pulling and wheezing at the end of a leash. Or a wild animal. Or a snarling monster.

And it got louder and louder.

Then it was upon us. A boy (he must have been 8 or 9) passed us. He was huffing and puffing and wheezing and whining and groaning with each step.

But he did pass us.

3. My Son

We crossed the finish line together. We didn't run fast by any objective standard, but it was fast enough for us. It's been many months since he ran at all, and I'm barely getting back into the swing of it. So even though we didn't run very fast, we were plenty tired. And the bagels and cookies hit the spot.

After we had eaten, we walked up the hill to find a spot along the final stretch where we could cheer. We walked slowly, and when we got to the top, we sat on the curb.

Oh, said Ben.

I turned and looked at him. What?

Oh, my joints.

Your joints?

My joints are hot!

4. Trudy

I didn't know if we made it to the final stretch in time. After all, it took us a while to work our way thru the crowd to the bagels and cookies. Then we wandered aimlessly as we ate. And finally we walked slowly up the hill.

So when we got to the top and sat down on the curb, I wasn't sure if we got there in time. Isn't that just typical, a voice said in the back of my head.

But on that day my luck held out, and before long I saw her blue shirt and recognized her stride.

There she is, I said to Ben.

We stood up.

Trudy! Go Trudy! we shouted.

She passed right by us and smiled and ran the final downhill stretch to the finish line.

5. The Man

Professor! the man said, looking into my face and pointing at me.

I looked up from the spot on the ground where we were sitting. I couldn't place his face. I wondered if this was some forgotten acquaintance from my years in graduate school. Or perhaps from when I taught at the community college. And what did he mean by professor?

My mind was blank. My tongue was frozen.

You taught the computer class at the library, he reminded me.

Of course, this was Jim. I just didn't recognize him in running gear. I stood up and greeted him and asked him how his wireless laptop was working. And I asked him how he did in the race.

Oh, ok I guess, he said, I'm 83, and they don't have an age category for me.

Then he added, Actually they do: 75+. But those youngsters are just too speedy.

6. The Girl

After the race, we sat in the shade in the prearranged spot to wait for Trudy. There were a lot of people milling around, and a mom and her daughter and their dog were sitting right next to us.

The mom had her hands full keeping track of the little girl and the little dog. The dog was on a very long leash, and the girl had just tripped and hit her head on the sidewalk.

The girl was crying, and the dog was scared. He moved closer to me and looked back and forth from my face to the crying girl. Back and forth, he looked. And each time he would look at me, he would try to lick my face.

The girl saw this, and as she and her mom came back to sit down, she looked at me and warned, Our dog drinks from toilets!

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Thundercloud Turkey Trot 2005
Austin, TX

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