Thanksgiving in Glen Ridge- The Quest For The Holy Cup

For many, Thanksgiving is all about traditions. Growing up, it meant a few days off from school (Yay!) accompanied by a trip to a cramped 105 degree Brooklyn apartment. (Nay!) accompanied by hanging up some Christmas decorations the next day, then back to school. Later in High school, Thanksgiving was a little more enticing. No school on Thursday meant I would go skateboarding or rollerblading on Wednesday night (Hey it was the 90's!). Living a stone's throw from NYC I used to like to go up the hill from where I lived and look at the NYC skyline and see the Empire State building all lit up in Autumn colors of gold, orange, and brown. The next day I'd sleep in, watch the last 30 minutes of the parade, and get on with the overeating. It also meant high school Cross Country and Football season were over and when we headed back to school on Monday, Winter track began and we took over the JV locker rooms while the Basketball team took over the Varsity locker rooms. Fast forward a few more years and the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving meant going out to "party" all night and hoping you'd run into some old high school friends. But when you did, it was always just weird and awkward when you realized that apart from sitting next to each other in English class for 4 years, you have absolutely nothing in common with 95% of your graduating class. A few more years, and too many pounds later, with a reinvigorated spark for running and I heard about a local "Turkey Trot" taking place in the next town over, The Ashenfelter 8K Classic, or A8K for short.

A quick google search revealed some information about the race. The year prior (2006) had been a cold rain I couldn't believe people would actually run in...let alone on Thanksgiving morning. I also learned that 8K is 4.97 Miles, but that 8K sounds much cooler than 5 Miler. Now onto this Ashen-whatever his name is guy... I quickly found out that the race was named in honor of living legend Horace Ashenfelter, gold medalist at the 1952 Olympic 3000m steeple chase, who just so happened to  also be living in the next town over from me, and who, at the time, aged 84 years young (presently 92) was still known to be seen running around the streets of Glen Ridge, NJ. Which brings me to one of my favorite stories of the namesake of the A8K.

Like many of us who work full time jobs and find time to dedicate to training, as the story goes, Horace Ashenfelter in his 1952 build up to Olympic Gold would train through his hometown of Glen Ridge, NJ, hurdling the benches in Glenfield park. Long before the first American running boom of Frank Shorter, Steve Prefontaine, and Tom Flemming, seeing someone running through the park at 10 PM dressed in what was described as "underwear" (more likely a cotton singlet and shorts) was enough to warrant a call to the local Police Department. Imagine your workout being interrupted and explaining to the Police that you are an FBI agent training to win in the Olympics! Crazy, to be sure, but a good kind of crazy. For after all, we runners wear our crazy as a badge of honor. Like many runners I have my pre-race routine every year at the A8K which includes a warm up through nearby Glenfield Park, and those storied benches. It helps me get into the spirit of the event, and escape the huge crowds that are slowly gathering 1/4 mile away.

with Horace Ashenfelter, 2010, 3rd Place in my age group

Now, having raced consecutively here since 2007 (I unofficially ran in 2012 on Dr's orders that I should not race that year) I've come to love this event as one of my favorite races of the year, second only to The Boston Marathon. And as my Wednesday night "Pre-Thanksgiving" traditions have changed over the years, one of my favorite traditions is attending the pre race packet pickup held annually in Glen Ridge High School's gymnasium. Nothing fancy to attract anyone here, but it is always fun bumping into many friends, team mates, rivals, and runners of all ages. You pick up your bib (race number), long sleeve A8K tech top, chat a little about the race, and return home in time to pin your race bib to your singlet and get in a good night's sleep before the big day. For a few years, I would then go home and start to brine my Turkey, but watching Paul Simon in a turkey suit on SNL's thanksgiving special is more fun.

Most races give out awards for overall wins (1st, 2nd, and 3rd, Male & Female) as well as age groups. A plastic trophy, or a medal is par for the course. You come in 90th place overall at most races, don't place in your age group and go home empty handed. No one is going to pat you on the back. But at the A8K the stakes are always higher. For one thing this has been a USA Track & Field team championship race for several years, which means the fast guys and girls come out. For another, many college and high school runners are home for the holiday and coming out of Cross Country season, usually in outstanding shape. And, what better to do with all that hard earned fitness, than test it out at the (mostly) flat and (very) fast A8K. Which is why with 3,100 finishers (as of 2015), it's a pretty big deal to be in the top 100 men or women. For the men, you'll need to basically be able to run a 6 min/mile pace. For the woman this year you needed 7:21 pace or faster...not an easy feat for either gender! And for this prestigious top 100 you are awarded with a coffee mug. Yup, thats right a coffee mug, that people literally talk about all year long. There really is nothing fancy about these mugs. They've looked that same for years, varying only in color and the date printed on them. Although this year, for the 15th running, mugs were slightly different than years past, white with a blue interior and handle for men, and white with a pink interior and handle for women, and a bit smaller than usual. I've seen videos of people fighting each other on Black Friday for that last flat screen door buster deal, and I imagine that is what it must be like when the last mug is presented. I was 109th male across the line in 2008 and my team mates made a pretty big deal about how close I came to earning the coveted mug. I didn't realize at the time just how prestigious this unassuming coffee mug could be, but since that day, I've made it my annual Thanksgiving Day mission to earn that mug! Age group winners are awarded with high quality running jackets or shirts embroidered with the A8K classic logo. You show up wearing one of these at your next Sunday morning group run, and people will know what it means.

After receiving (or according to the odds not receiving your mug), you get to shake hands with the namesake of this event, Horance Ashenfelter himself, and proceed back into the warm high school gym, to change out of your racing gear, in to some dry warm-ups, and get in a cool down. Of course it feels so nice to be out of the cold, and it's always so much fun talking and wishing friends Happy Thanksgiving that I tend to delay my cool down, but when I do you can find me back at Glenfield park, just as our local hero was 63 years ago. This year, several of the adult runners I coach were in attendance, and it was great to hear about their races, and PR's. Definitely a nice addition to the day!  And then it's over the river and through the woods, to get that carbohydrate/protein rich Thanksgiving dinner that you know you earned!

Oh, and as for me this year...28:36 at 64th place. Back a few seconds from my PR. Not something worth mentioning, if not for the mug!