Full circle

Looking ahead to 2024

I’ve gotten several emails and texts asking me about the “Fat Ass 50,” an event that my now dearly departed friend Charlie Sprauer and I created and organized in 1996 and kept going until Covid derailed it. “Is the Fat Ass 50 happening this year at Norrie?” The definite and emphatic answer is YES. The race’s official, more politically correct moniker is the “Recover From the Holidays 50K” and it remains the first event of each year for our home club, the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club. Steven Estremera of the Eastern Dutchess Road Runners Club and from Conquer The World (CTW) races graciously agreed to take over the leadership of the race in 2023, and he will continue with his enthusiastic stewardship of our beloved race.

This post is to let everyone know that yes, indeed, it’s happening: At Norrie Point in Staatsburg, NY, on the banks of the (usually frozen) Hudson River, on Saturday, January 6, 2024. The link to the registration (don’t worry, it’s still FREE) is here.

But really, this is first in a series of posts about beginnings and endings — typical of this time of year. The year 2023 zooms to its conclusion in a little more than two weeks, with 2024 eagerly clipping at its heels. New Year’s resolutions are already being formed for 2024, reflections on the past being crafted for 2023. This is what we do.

One reflection that comes to mind here is centered around the upcoming event at Norrie. The event obviously has personal significance, but it also is a reminder of the beginning of this Substack venture, which is nearing one year (it was started in the first days of January 2023). A few of the original posts were about this race. And so, we’ve come full circle.

We’ll continue to reflect, but mostly we’ll look forward to what we hope will be an exciting and productive 2024. Thank you for supporting the first year of (Still) On the Run, and I sincerely hope you’ll come back for more in 2024.