How to confuse the kids

I played hooky from work today so I could go to school. Which isn't that different than when I used to play hooky to get outside, though the first time was to avoid lunch. Didn't want pigs-in-a-blanket, so first grader me hid out under the steps until the bus left.

Instead of working, I went to Asotin Junior High School and talked to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes about writing and publishing. Mrs. Beggs, one of my daughter's former teachers, was the teacher for the four periods I attended. She did a great job of bailing me out when the conversation would slow down by asking a few questions of her own.

The kids were also pretty terrific. Since I coached a bunch of them at one time or another, I wasn't surprised. I hadn't seen the 7th graders in a while - the girls en masse decided to play basketball last season instead of running cross country, and the head coach and I wished them the best of luck. Junior high is a little too early to worry about specialization. There's plenty of time for that later. Still, it was nice to see familiar faces. I suspect a couple were trying desperately not to be noticed. The sixth graders had a slew of my runners, including Thing 1 and Thing 2, Version 2.0.

The fun part for me, though, was getting introduced to them as an author since most of them had no idea that I had written a book, much less three. The ones that know me think of me as "Coach Paul." The second fun part was surprising my two beta readers, Carmen and Maia (the original Thing 1 and Thing 2 from cross country), by showing up. Carmen I had seen over the weekend at her sister's graduation party. It somehow slipped my mind to mention I might be presenting in her class. Pure accident that I forgot.

The cool thing about junior high kids is they will try to embarrass you. Maia introduce the whole class to the nickname she and Carmen gave me.

No, I'm not sharing it. Ever, if I can help it, but I got a good laugh and a lot of weird looks.

The kids also asked some great questions. Natalie wanted to know about my writing process. That answer could've taken the entire period, so I gave her the brief version. I'll write out a longer answer later.   

One asked why I always wrote from a female perspective. Interesting observation and question. I didn't have a great answer other than, that was were the story was.

Some of the questions were more traditional, who my favorite authors were (Hemingway, Heinlein, Doc Smith, Robert Parker), did I travel for my stories (not yet, planning a trip to Kenya next year), what was my style (darned if I know), why did you start writing (I wanted to actually finish a run without ideas distracting me. Hah, like that worked.)

One girl, and I'm afraid I didn't catch her name, wanted to know what to do when you didn't know how to end things. That led to an interesting discussion about never being nice to your characters.

More than a few like the brief synopsis of the book I'm working on now. One question directed by Mrs. Beggs concerned the lack of reading by boys. I gave a two part answer, based on my boyhood. First, I usually preferred to be outside and playing when the sun was up. Second, modern boys' books pretty much stink. The second generated a rousing shout of agreement from the boys. Time to figure out some ideas for the dudes. Got one already, so we'll see. Mysteries seemed popular with them.

The Kenya trip comment didn't draw a stir except with the eighth grade class and only from Carmen and Maia. Go figure, the two runners that made me look good as a coach want to go see the great runners. I'll have to remember to check my luggage for stowaways.

As usual, I ran out of time with each class.  Also as usual, visiting with the kids made my day.

Even though Maia, code name Thing 2, tried really hard to make me squirm.

His Hat Said "Leave Me Alone"

Asked an old man in a "Leave Me Alone" hat if I could share his table at SeaTac.

"Sure," he said, "I'll behave."

So I did, and because I never let a sign - or hat - boss me around, asked if he was heading out or heading home.

Home, it turns out, which is Missoula, or rather, the hills just north of Missoula. Turns out he ferries vehicles part-time (he's retired now) from Eastern Montana out to Seattle, then catches flights back. One more round, and he was taking some time off and heading to Durango, CO.

I mentioned I'd run (I fibbed, I ran some) a marathon in Pagosa Springs, nearly next door as we count things in the West.

He asked if I had ever rode the narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton. I hadn't. He had advice. Take the trip, it was worth the time, and sit in the last car. It was open and you might get a few cinders in the eyes but the views were spectacular. Then dinner up Bar D Chuckwagon and make sure to catch the show.

Mentioned that I had a young lady I coached years ago headed to Silverton.

"Yep," he agreed, "mostly college kids working the line."

His son is a firefighter down that way. When one of the big fires hit, and everyone pulled out, the folks that run the Bar D didn't. Fire department came in, the restaurant lost a single tree. Firefighters ate free for a bit, because that's how things work.

The man running the restaurant, according to the guy in the hat, was "gettin' old, gotta be pushing 90." Man in the hat had to be at least 75. "He's a stubborn one." Big grin.

He's probably not the only one, I thought.

Had to go catch my flight, so I said goodbye to the cool old dude.

Glad I ignored the hat.

Competitive Running is Trying to Depress Me

Yesterday, news broke that the Beeb - BBC - was releasing a documentary that Coach Alberto Salazar had been doping the Nike Oregon Project team members for years. The alleged doping included Galen Rupp. More than one person came forward and they brought a slim bit of physical evidence with them.

This follows on the heels of the sudden departure of Mary Cain last week from the team. She headed back to Bronxville, NY. One reason was offered and her decision was one of the big topics of conversation, always hushed, at the PRE last week. Now the rumors are starting to swirl.

Along with the setbacks from Rita Jeptoo and the transgressions of the Russian Federation, this is one more sign of the rot that exists at the elite level, which begins to remind one of the peloton at the Tour d' France.

Since I coach at a much younger level, this normal doesn't hit home quite so closely, except that one of the allegations is that Rupp began doping back in high school. That would match the efforts of the Russians, if true. One of the reports suggested that the Russians began doping prior to the athletes reaching elite status to reset their biological passport, the set of individual parameters of blood work used by WADA and USADA to determine if an athlete has been cheating.

That frankly disgusts and depresses me. I send the kids out asking that they do their best. Not win, but compete hard, run with guts, and leave it on the course. If any wanted to cheat, I'd be distressed that I hadn't done my job properly.

As for the elites, maybe they need to go back to junior high.

PRE Classic - Final Thoughts

Let’s start with the most unlikely to be reported result from the meet. Alexa Efrainson ran a 4:03.39. That put her in rather interesting company as she broke Mary Cain’s 1500m record for high school girls. Given the mysteries swirling around Cain, this adds to the question everyone here seems to be asking – Is Cain going to come back to form? My guess would be yes, once she gets her head squared away. In the meantime, the protégé following in Cain’s footsteps has overtaken the leader.

Hats off to Genzebe Dibaba. She lived up to the Pre Classic, blowing past the pacers to take the lead early. Then she blew up the field on her way to the fastest women’s 5K ever run on US soil. She did it the same way Pre did, running to the front, and paying with her heart. In the last 200 meters, it looked as though she might miss the 14:20 mark, but she buckled down and sprinted in. That’s the Pre attitude on the track. Off the track, she’s not nearly so flamboyant.

Someone who was, post-event was Chinese jumper Guowei Zhang who set a personal best with a jump of 7’09.25”. He hit the jump, bounced off the mat, and sprinted on the track with his arms flailing in his excitement. Putting it in metric terms, hit jumped 2.38 meters. The Chinese record is 2.39 meters. Given his reaction to the PB, I would love to see what happens when he gets that last .01 meters.

Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay won the 200m and 100m respectively. I didn’t cheer. Can’t, not for men that cheated. Sue me.

I need to apologize to Bernard Lagat and Silas Kiplagat. I got autographs from both. Both finished fourth, Lagat in the 5,000m and Kiplagat in the 1600m. Might just be a coincidence. Might not, can’t take the chance. No more autographs before the meet.

Renaud Lavillenie is a showman, in addition to being the world indoor recordholder in pole vault. Today, he nearly added the outdoor record to his list. Unfortunately, he only broke the records for the Hayward and vaults on US soil. Not a bad days work. He thanked the crowd afterward, so add gentleman to the list with showman and freak athlete.

Ben Blankenship doesn’t look much like a miler – until he wins the dang thing. With the long hair and beard, he’s a perfect fit for Eugene. He and Jonathan Kiplimo Sawe traded the lead back and forth the entire last lap, though Blankenship started making a move on the second lap to put himself in position to win. Small decisions, to push a bit early, that pay off with a .04 second win. Great race.

Tonight it’s meeting more people (and handing out some books) while everyone starts to chill over steak and salmon, wine and beer. A convivial time for all, I hope.

Pre Classic, Distance Night

I was a little late to the meet, so finding seats was a challenge. The meet had open entry for the first night to bring in a crowd for Distance Night. Most of the races were high school kids running as the warm-up act and we arrived in time for the high school women's and men's 1600m.

The lateness was due to stopping for dinner at Beppe & Gianni's Trattoria on 19th and Agate. I highly recommend lingering. Sampling wine would also be encouraged. Leave more time than I did to get to the track.

The girl's fired off and the pack stayed pretty tight through the first three laps with Devin Clark leading them out. The race was tight with Ryen Frazier hanging close, Christina Aragon and Jordyn Colter just back a touch. The race came down to Jones and Frazier dueling the entire final lap with the race not decided until the last straightaway when Ryen finally got a step in front at the tap.

She also had the best interview line of the night. When asked, Frazier was bubbling as she said, "Danielle and I have battled like that a lot, but this place is so awesome. I kept having to tell myself to stop smiling, you're supposed to be racing." Utterly charming and refreshing.

The men's side had the field separate much faster. Mike Braningan took the early lead and pushed the first lap in a 61. Salisbury, Barnard, and Ratcliffe were all in the mix as they juggled positions.

Villareal running in a box.

Hidden in the pack, Carlos Villareal floated in back in about sixth or seventh place for the first half of the race. By the end of the third lap, he was up to about fifth when Brannigan and Salisbury took off. The rest of the chase pack went after them but the two leaders had smashed open a 15 meter lead.

Coming off the final turn, Brannigan opened some more, but back 35 meters, Villareal exploded. The crowd responded as he flew down the straightaway, picking of Ratcliffe, then Barnard, then Salisbury. With 40 meters to go, only Brannigan was in front. With 20 meters to go, and the crowd on it's feet, he sprinted into the lead, and the win, and a PR of 4:05.

The featured events were the 5000m and 10,000m and the races lived up to the hype, especially the 10,000m with Farah and Tanui taking turns leading laps and Kamworor hanging on to third. The race came down to the last lap. Nobody outkicks Farah on the last lap. The times were the fastest of the season in the world, a good omen for the upcoming outdoor meets.

Bernard Lagat, ageless and graceful, ran his way into fourth position. Love to watch that man run.

Loved watching the high school kids taking a victory lap together. I don't think our runners have every had that honor. They grinned all the way around, high fiving along the way.

Be Bold

It’s the Prefontaine Classic –Be Bold!

“Do you have a pass for Jack Welch?”

The young lady on the end of table looked up at Jack, but a voice interrupts before she can answer.

“The Jack Welch?”

It was Howard, one of the media/public relations men for the meet and, as it turned out, Jack’s old editor from the days where he filed monthly articles for Track and Field News. Years out the business, his name still gets recognized. That didn’t make him the news today, though.

Nor was it Tom Jordan’s day to shine. He quickly introduced the media to the athletes on the stage and mentioned that the IAAF had sent a list of questions for the athletes before they disperses to zones for easy access to the media. Jenny Simpson was on the stage, as was Sanya Richards-Ross, French pole vaulter Valentin Lavillenie sporting a bandage on his right bicep, and sprinter Justin Gatlin.

The questions were not really unusual. For Lavillenie, how was his arm and Jordan joking that it was every event organizers nightmare to have injuries to athletes just before the meet.

Richards-Ross, who made her first appearance in 2002 as a high school athlete, was asked of her best memory of that meet. She was smooth and gracious in her answer, before revealing that her father record the race, just as he had all the others, but he might have been more nervous that she was, and the video bounced so badly that it was virtually unwatchable. She also talked of the history of Hayward Field and the nerves as maybe not belonging – yet – on the same track with the pros. The decade plus since then suggests she shouldn’t have worried.

Gatlin commented on his desire to give the fans a great race and a couple of others made the same safe type of comment.

Four of them were asked to make some sort of prediction. None did, though Jenny Simpson said something really interesting when Tom Jordan pointed out that she was .1 seconds off the American record (still!) held by Mary Decker. The question was open-ended about the record. Simpson acknowledged that she was close but, after spending a year chasing a number, “wanted to get back to winning races.”

Given this is the Prefontaine Classic, the origins of which are embedded into the DNA of the sport’s most iconic figure and an act of defiance against the existing AAU structure of the time, I thought most of the answers represented the best of non-committal sports-speak. The age of brazen predictions, like those from Henry Rono when he owned track and field or Pre who turned every race into a test of wills, seem gone. Instead, we get platitudes about giving the fans a good show, or it’s early in the season so we’re still building, or I’m just going out to do my best. I don’t doubt their sincerity—I think they really mean those things.

It’s what they’re not saying. Jenny Simpson hinted at it. She wants to win. And I’m betting that she wants that record so bad she can taste it. In the corporate culture that has taken hold of racing though, making bold predictions that might lead to embarrassment are verboten.

Pre would have made a prediction and told any stuffed shirts that objected what they might conceivably do with themselves. Pre understood all about blood, guts, and glory at a basic level. He’d speak the words, and then live up to them with every bit of heart he had—or blow up trying.

_______________

Paul Duffau writes novels about running and works with junior high cross country runners part-time. His first novel, Finishing Kick, was recognized by Running Times in their Summer Reading list July, 2014. His newest novel, a high-octane adventure set in the mountains of Montana, is Trail of Second Chances. He blogs on the running life, running books, and interviews people that he finds interesting at www.paulduffau.com .

The Pre-PRE

The Pre PRE      

A day before the opening ceremonies of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, many of the volunteers gathered for the pre PRE at Lewis and Clark Catering on the riverfront, along with a writer or two, and athletes such as former world record holder and marathoner Jacki Hansen and Olympic steeplechaser Mike Manley.

The event was kept low key as everyone seemed to be catching their breath with the meet set to start on Friday night. Jack Anderson, a board member for the Oregon Track Club, and his wife Kathy acted as the hosts. They both managed to be everywhere, easing people into the event without ever looking harried.  

Tom Jordan, the meet director, made an appearance looking surprisingly relaxed after months of hard work to set up the PRE for another great year. He made the usual and as always, sincere, comments to the volunteers.

As usual with runners, even when they’re in volunteer mode, the conversations turned to running. I chatted with Barry Jahn about high school and junior high runners and then met a fellow ultrarunner with fifty races under his belt. We compared notes on the folks that we had raced against and where. With a lot of the older runners, the question of what happened to the 2:40 marathoner kept coming up.

The elites are running as well as ever and participation levels are at record highs but there’s a hole in the results where the dedicated, but not quite as talented, used to chase after the elite runners. No one knows why.

Jack Welch, the TAFWA award winning author, made the rounds, meeting old friends. He wrote, in an article about the Honolulu Marathon, that his finishing time in 1978 which was good for 169th place then would have placed him 63rd now. The times didn’t change but the field seemed to suddenly grow discontinuous. Perplexing.

That won’t be an issue at the PRE. The fields are stacked. With a little luck and a break in the weather, a couple of new world records are possible. The volunteers got some rest and their night. Friday they go to work and, knowing the Hayward crew, we won’t even notice them as things run as easy as water downhill.

Instead, we’ll watch world class athletes running, jumping, and throwing, all looking to score the win.

Sitting down with running history

Not that my lunch mates were history, just a part of it. Jack Welch set up the lunch with his friends, Joe Henderson and Jacki Hansen, both acclaimed, for different reasons, in the running world. Joe wrote extensively about running, on everything from running form to his adventure with an ultra to an insightful piece on the late, great George Sheehan as Sheehan moved from the front of the pack to the back during his battle with cancer. Joe was also a middling good runner, by his own admission.

Jacki Hansen was more than middling. The lady set the World Record not once, but twice in the marathon. She joked during the lunch that she was all "lungs and legs" though I suspect a mighty heart rests in her diminutive frame. She also has a book out - Jack mentioned it to me when I asked whether there was a full-fledged running museum.

Both are friends of Jack's and watching the interactions brings a swathe of the running world to life. Behind the stories in the press of world record efforts and training programs, these are warm and inviting people striving to reach the pinnacle of their sport (in Jacki's case) or the best in a challenging genre (in Joe's case.) Both do a tremendous amount for the sport.

Me, I didn't have much to add.  I listened a lot, and recognized names, but I don't have the backstory to contribute to the conversation. Instead, I watched as friends, for their friendship spans the better part of four different decades and still going strong, caught up after too long apart.

The subject of Boston came up and I found that Jacki had been there, coaching. She was the first to say that she had been safe and hadn't been at risk behind the finish line barriers. Still, my eyes got a little damp as she showed me her pictures from the marathon, showing me the pictures from her phone. The teary eyed part happened first when she recounted having a runner still on the course while Jacki was in lock-down and unable to go find her runner.

The second time was when I flipped to a picture of an American flag at half mast. The picture was from L.A. ,from when she got back from and immediately went to find a tribute, to find "something that was good" about the event.  She found it in her fellow runners.

As I said earlier, I think that there's a pretty big heart that went with the legs and lungs.

Joe has an impish side, something I didn't realize from his writing. His comments were on the money, though he deflected attention from himself and toward Jacki. He's written a dozen books (I brought my favorite with me to get signed - yes, it's a  total fanboy move but he wrote some great stuff.). He told me to stick with Jack if I wanted to learn a thing or two.

Seemed like good advice. Bet I could learn a lot from Joe too, but his dance card is full this weekend.  

Jack Welch on the left (in full ready-to-joke mode), Jacki Hansen front and center, and Joe Henderson with the big grin on the right.

Pioneer Square with Jackdog

Drove into Portland to meet Jack Welch yesterday afternoon and my small town habits had a minor run-in with the big city streets. Forgot that half of downtown Portland is one way streets,. A single wrong turn and I was headed in the direction of Beaverton.  Which would be fine if I want to interview Phil Knight. Wanted to meet Jack Welch, so I got turned around and circled his hotel until I found some parking.

Everything after that got easier. Portland is hosting the 2016 Indoor Championships. The unveiling of the countdown clock was held in Pioneer Square. Jack and I walked down. A pretty good cast of athletes attended, including Bernard Lagat. I wanted an autograph but had a hard time catching up to Mr. Lagat. Jack rode to the rescue and snagged it for me while I got Silas Kiplagat to sign the little program the media tent handed me. A two-fer on that score.

I also had a chance to meet Ian Dobson, a coach now with Team Run Eugene. The Olympian looked fit and is an incredibly pleasant man to chat with. I also had a chance to talk to Bob Williams, who is a distance coach with Portland State, another cool dude.

Also met author Rod Schumacher, a Canadian who is visiting the region. The meeting was accidental as Rod and his wife were enjoying a cappuccino while Jack and I indulged in a beer. Jack and I were kvetching about marketing our books and Rod overheard.  We chatted for thirty minutes comparing notes, and decided that writing was hard, regardless of genre.

Now, onto today. Planning on meeting Joe Henderson. (newbie tip - hang with a guy that knows everybody. That, in my case, means Jack, who's a character in his own right.)

Pictures from the District 7 and 9 Meet at Central Valley

Madison Ward, St. George Academy, in the lead of the 4x400 relay.

Chandler Teigen (Asotin), leading, with Nathan Vanos (St. George)  running a strong race behind him. Jack Ammon of NW Christian Colbert and Thomas Weakland round out the top four.

Duncan Forsman leading in the 1B race with Spencer Reiss of Curlew chasing.

How tough is the race? Less than a quarter second of a split between the two teams.

Zoe Robertson launches after getting the baton from Emma Perry

Tracy Melville of Lind-Ritzville leads the 3200M with Marika Morelan (St. George) challenging her. Lucy Eggleston holds a steady third with Waitsbury-Prescott's Emily Adams grabbing fourth.

Coach Tim Gundy of Asotin with Lucy Eggleston (left), Maria Eggleston (with back turned), and Kat Stephenson.

Sunday Morning, Moving Slow

Not so much an full post as random thoughts as I start a desperately needed vacation.

Went to see the Asotin kids run, jump, and throw at the Regionals in Spokane on Friday. Took pictures that I haven't had time to post - maybe tomorrow. As always, there was drama from the kids, and sadness for some of the seniors. I got a burst of joy watching Lucy Eggleston battle Harley Strope to the finish in the 1600m with a spot to State on the line. The top four had run away from Lucy but she hung tough. With 150 meters left, I could Lucy measure the distance and make her decision to try to out-kick the best kicker in the region. The gamble paid off as Harley took a second to long to match the move.

Maddie Ward of St. George's won in dominating fashion and is looking incredibly strong. Her running mate, Marika Morelan ran well, but was fighting a bit of a bug, according to Josh Hayes, her coach. Tracy Melville broke up the pair with a great run of her own.

Lucy's sister Maria wins my courage award. She came into the meet with a pulled muscle in her back, so she was parked for her 4x400 relay with one of the alternates in her place. Then both alternates got injured. Unwilling to see her season end (and with coaches and parents permission) she dressed out and ran a very credible quarter.

As I said, I'll put up pictures, maybe tomorrow and give more commentary.

I also had a chance to chat with Rick Riley and made a date to visit his running camp. Which reminds me that I should contact Mike Collins at LC about coming out to the Clearwater Running Camp. If you have young'uns that want great camps, these are two of the best, with terrific coaches.

I got word that a magazine is going to review Finishing Kick. Very exciting - unless they hate it. Yes, writers are neurotic. Yes, I'm a writer. No, I'm fine, really. They'll love it. I hope.

Wednesday I head to Portland to pick up Jack Welch. Thursday, we head for Eugene for the Pre Classic. Should be a hoot. Not sure how much writing I'll get done. I expect we'll get some runs in, though I'm the slowest of the bunch.

Now, to play with grandkids. Sometime today I'll get a short run in, probably in the heat. Good for sweating and character building. Now that it's getting hot, mind the temps and stay hydrated.

Run gently, friends. 

Can Writing be Taught?

I probably spend more time on writing blogs than running blogs which is just as well since I'm a better writer than runner. Over at the Killzone Blog yesterday, James Scott Bell posted a partial response to Porter Anderson,  who had a thought-provoking article over at Writers Unboxed.

The question posed was "can writing be taught" and examples offered yea and nay. Much like the argument that only a certain amount of running can be taught, and so many other disagreements over talent and hard work, this one brought out some interesting perspectives.

One of mine, directed at Porter, is below. Both Jim Bell and Porter Anderson are the sorts of fellows you'd enjoy a beer with, and who'd have your back if necessary. Very classy. 

---

Porter,

Thanks for swinging in and stating your case. I appreciate folks that hold up mirrors. We are in a transitory period and all the rules – and assumptions – for both sides are open to debate. If it’s not the best time to be a writer, it certainly might be the most interesting.

You raised a point about calling out a charlatan. In my comment above, I offered an example of an instructor, who despite publishing success, was a poor fit for me. It was would be easy to state that he or she was a fake, a fraud, but that would be unfair. It also would needlessly stir animosity when none is warranted.

I’m new to writing, probably newer that most of the writers here. One lesson that I learned running my other businesses is that I can’t please everyone – and not everyone will meet my needs or expectations. When that happens, I lose money and learn. The lesson seems to stick better with a skinned knee or a pocket lightened.

Your concern, of the minor frauds (which exist) of the various training programs, pales in next to the behaviors seen at the more rarified reaches. Where major fraud does exist – at Author Solutions, for example, which is warming the bed for the several large publishers – it seems to get swept under the coverlet. Author Solutions operates the same way a con man does, by finding a mark that wants to believe and will do anything to prove that belief.

You offered a bit of your wisdom in the form of a creed. Let me do the same.

I believe . . . that the digital dynamic has unleashed a stunning diversity of ability, of all levels, for all tastes.

I believe you’re right – Jim is not a charlatan, but I’m open to the premeditated coffee thunking, if only for dramatic effect.

I believe that humans share the same weaknesses the world over. . .

I believe that marks look for their con men, wanting to believe . . .

I believe that the publishing industry has, for decades, acted on the this very nature of men and women.

I believe that I have the right to go to hell my own way. I may have an audience cheering me along, or the lonely silence that writers fear the most, the quiet that comes when people just don’t care, but it is the path that I forge, as an aspirational adult. I don’t need looking after, as though I were a child too simple to comprehend the gap between myself and a dream, that my tender feelings should be assuaged. Bah! If writing can’t be taught, I will learn that, but I won’t be told it. I’ll need proof and years of my labor to convince me. Along the way, I’ll kiss a frog or two and find a toad. I’ll expect I’ll survive.

Because I also believe that you can’t grasp what you don’t try first to reach.

And . . .

I believe that the ultimate failure would be not to try.

That is at the heart of the digital dynamic. Most of us will lose, but so many at least will get a shot.

Now, it being evening, I’ll lift a glass in your direction and toast your health and fortune. I ask you not to worry for us.

Seven Devils Wilderness Area

Racing the Rain: A Review of John L. Parker’s newest novel

Racing the Rain delivers the goods on young Quenton Cassidy with Parker’s flair for inspirational running scenes, an intriguing cast of characters, and a verdant setting above and below the surface of the Florida Gold Coast.

John L. Parker returns in Racing the Rain to flesh out the character of Cassidy, beginning with the young boy that would toe the line barefoot to run his first race, not against people, or even himself, but just to feel the wind and the joy of the act of running. Quenton Cassidy, the famed hero of Once a Runner, received the gifts of speed and the courage of a miler from the gods, but until those talents were nurtured by coaches and mentors, they lay quiescent.

Parker opens the novel with scenes from an American childhood that will seem alien to most of his young readers, but that resonates with authenticity for the age; and, of course, there’s a race.

The boys in the story—Cassidy, his friends Stiggs and Randleman—roamed freely as the story unfolds, the early years touched on at the highlights, until Racing the Rain settles into the early teenage years when Cassidy turns serious about sports even as he searches for his identity.

For Cassidy, identity gets bound by the character of the Florida Gold Coast and by Trapper Nelson. Trapper, who as Cassidy thought of it, “. . . was supposedly bigger and stronger than Paul Bunyan, had more powers than Superman, knew more about animals than Tarzan . . .”  is the first to suggest that Cassidy pursue running, and was wise enough to wait for the seed to germinate. Trapper lives alone in the Everglades and the two form a relationship built on a mutual appreciation of each other and the Glades.

Parker’s ability to write a race scene that leaves your pulse pounding was the backbone of Once a Runner. In Racing the Rain, he adds a graceful skill in describing the natural world of Cassidy, whether describing a foray to capture bait fish amongst the cattails in the tide pools, scuba-diving in coral “so exotic they seemed not the product of the natural world, but of some schizophrenic jeweler,” or the feel of the oppressive summer heat as he works for Trapper maintaining an exotic menagerie. Parker’s affinity for Florida helps him paint the scenes with details that allow the richness of the place and time shine through.

As an author, Parker also added some misdirection to his repertoire as he gently builds a training program for young runners under the guise of telling the story. Gone are the sixty quarter miles, replaced by the guiding wisdom of Archie San Romani through Trapper, and later, from his coaches, especially Mr. Kamrad. The running is interspersed with basketball. It’s on the court that Cassidy first stars, learning the lessons of diligent practice and focus to reach beyond the barriers that had been applied to him.

Parker does a smooth job of bringing the previous book’s characters back to round out the scenes. Readers of Once a Runner will recognize many of the characters, not the least Mizner and a young Jack Nubbins and the race finale takes place at Southeastern University, the setting for Once a Runner.

Parker continues to blend in the science of training with his racing, but does so subtly. He sets basketball as the prestige sport, with cross country and track distant also-rans in the school hierarchy of popularity, not so different from the reality for most runners. As the plot develops, so does Cassidy’s character. The reader watches the writer deftly molding young Cassidy into the man that he will be in Once a Runner, the athlete with an almost visceral rejection of stupidity masquerading as authority. The tension builds through the second third of the novel as Cassidy is forced, by a combination of his own talents and decisions as well as the internal pressures of the sports programs with the prestige to decide on his future.

The result is less a one dimensional running book like Once a Runner and more a coming of age story for Quenton Cassidy, teenager. As such, it should have wider appeal to more readers. And yet, there’s that Parker touch, and the runners will recognize the magic that Parker brings to running fiction, that makes it special to all of us that once dreamed of being that runner.

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Paul Duffau writes novels about running and works with junior high cross country runners part-time. His first novel, Finishing Kick, was recognized by Running Times in their Summer Reading list July, 2014. His newest novel, a high-octane adventure set in the mountains of Montana, is Trail of Second Chances. He blogs on the running life, running book, and interviews people that he finds interesting at www.paulduffau.com .