The passage of more than three decades has resulted in some of the details fading away, but I am able to remember my first road race fairly well. I would have paid closer attention had I known I would run in so many more of these in the future; I estimate that I have taken part in somewhere between 650 and 700 races, from the 5K to the marathon. In the process, I have witnessed some weird, surprising, even bewildering things, but nothing can compare with what happened in Denton, Texas on July 4, 1979.
This 7.6-mile race (the odd distance derived from it being held on American independence day, the first of which came back in 1776) started and finished at Fouts Field, on a remote corner of the North Texas State University campus. This modest athletic facility had been home to the Eagles’ football and track teams since the year of my birth, 1952.
What kind of training had I done, and was I really in shape to go 7.6 miles? I simply do not remember, although I must have done some running in the weeks leading up to it. One fact, however, would seem to indicate I was not prepared, and that pertains to my footwear. I did not have any running shoes, and so I showed up at Fouts Field that summer day in a pair of Converse All-Stars—canvas shoes designed not for distance running but for basketball. Even so, that’s what I had and thus I joined maybe 200 guys and gals at the starting line. I was grateful that none of them mocked me for my fashion faux pas.
Most of the race took place west of campus in an area that was undeveloped and maybe even farmland. It circled Eagle Point Golf Course, a 158-acre property that was owned by the university. My lack of racing experience and dubious choice of shoes in which to run notwithstanding, I did OK. I was probably in the top 10 percent of runners with about a mile to go.
Then came the moment I will never forget. As stated, we were in a somewhat rural area. We had gone over a set of railroad tracks early in the race, and now we approached them again. Unfortunately, a train was coming from the south. The fastest runners had already gone through there, and a few others boldly scampered over the tracks before the choo-choo arrived. The rest of us had no choice but to stop and wait. As we did, many other runners caught up—and they waited too. While there was a good bit of cursing about our misfortune, most of us realized the humor of the situation so jokes were made too. After perhaps five minutes, the caboose rolled past, the gates opened, and we were free to resume running.
Needless to say, the race results—at least for those of us who had been caught on the wrong side of the railroad tracks—were completely bogus. I was not upset because this was nobody’s fault, and it made for an unforgettable episode.
In the ensuing years, a lot of changes have taken place there. North Texas State has become the University of North Texas, and the student body has grown to more than 30,000. Fouts Field has been demolished and replaced by Apogee Stadium, but not on the same spot. The new facility, which cost $78 million and was unveiled at the 2011 season opener, is located on the site of the former golf course around which we ran during the 7.6-mile race more than 30 years ago.
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