I’m pleased to say that the 30th Wright Run turned out to be a very nice race on a beautiful day. Aside from some delay and a little confusion with the results, and the potentially hazardous presence of dogs and baby joggers among the runners, everything seemed to go quite smoothly.
Back in 1979 the Wright Run 10K was the first road race I ever ran (and 10 years later, it was also my fastest). Same for many other Oak Park runners, so some of us come back nearly every year despite its frequent glitches. This year, with a different director, I was curious how it would turn out.
Since its first running in 1977 the event has a long history and some nice amenities, but most dedicated runners learned not to run it with high expectations. The first year I wasn’t even aware of it since I was jogging only a mile or two several times a week, and 6.2 miles was way beyond my aspirations. The following year the course went right past my house, and watching the procession I figured I could at least beat some of the old fat guys at the back of the pack. So I stepped up my training to prepare for ’79.
But problems with the event seemed continual. In an early Wright Run, the lead runner was misdirected by a course marshal, yet still managed to win despite going too far. He was disqualified, and was understandably furious. The early FLW 10Ks were routed west through Elizabeth Court, but when a new cul-de-sac was installed at Kenilworth in the early 1980s the course stayed the same. On race day newly-planted flowers and shrubs on the cul-de-sac were flattened by hundreds of feet, and the course was promptly revised.
Another year many runners (me included), were thrilled with great new 10K personal records, only to discover the course was about a quarter-mile short. Next year the course was too long, resulting in many disappointments over seemingly slow times. And I recall several occasions when I drove the course a day or two after the race to check that the distance was really 6.2 miles and that the mile markers were in the right spots (often they weren’t). For years the 4, 5 and 6-mile markers were set .1 mile too far, causing runners to think they were having a bad day when in fact the total 10K distance was accurate.
Early dissatisfaction with the Wright Run actually led to the founding of the Oak Park Runners Club by a few runners who were disappointed with the event, and offered to manage it for the Park District. They felt if real runners were in charge, some of the annual lapses could be avoided. But Wright Run administrators failed to appreciate the offer.
The club was organized anyhow and quickly established its own race, The Race That’s Good for Life 5K (which had its 25th running this year). Relations between the Park District and the Oak Park Runners, however, were eventually repaired and have been fine for years.
I often thought that the many FLW Race events-10K, 5K, Youth Mile, Walk and “The Double”- led to scoring complications, confusion and long waits for results. But every year sees a good turnout and most runners seem to enjoy themselves.
This year it looked to me like things all worked out pretty well. I’ll be back next year.