The Heart of Torch Lake

I am not a runner…

Oh I know HOW to run, I have run in the past & I even break into a kind of slow jog now & then…but I am not a runner.

Once every year I wish I was.  The last Saturday of every July I wish I could get up early, put on a colorful pair of zippy running shoes & wander up to the library in Alden to join the rest of the runners participating in the Alden Run.

Steve Kershner, one of the organizers, sums it up perfectly when he says “Where else in the world can you run in a race whose finish-line is in a Methodist Church Garage Sale?”

The Alden Run has been around for more than 25 years. Local legend holds that the first race was between friends…a good natured competition held on a fine summer’s day. It may or may not have involved adult beverages, betting, & cool t-shirts, depending on who you talk to.  It most certainly involved bragging rights!

There are still t-shirts. In fact, they’ve become collector’s items with some people boasting about having them all.  The design & color for each year’s  shirt is a closely held secret unveiled only on the morning of the race. I have it on good authority that this year’s t-shirt is outstanding, having been designed by a mystery local artist.

Now the Alden Run blends the old race with current technology. Runners compete in age brackets & are “chipped” for time. Computers do that work fast, efficiently, & more accurately than the old stop watches. Instead of the old “Ready, set, GO”, there is an official starter with a start gun. You can check out all the cool old shirts, obtain current race & registration information, & find the course maps for both 5K & 10K events at http://www.aldenrun.com.  You can also check out your results after the run.

Last year 630 of your friends, family members & neighbors participated in the Alden Run. This year you can join us. Download the registration form, fill it out & send it in with your money (one of the small changes from that first race).

Then on July 27th  just lace up your zippy shoes, don this year’s t-shirt, & you’re off!

Although many of the logistics have changed, the spirit of the run has not.

It’s all about community… everyone is invited…young, old, fast, slow, runner or walker, 5K or 10K-er.

It’s all about fun…warm-up stretches with your neighbors, munching a muffin to fuel up for the race, cooling down afterwards with an ice cream cone.

It’s all about Torch Lake…just another way to celebrate this place we love!

Me…I’m off to lace up my shoes.