As I approach my 25th year in the sports writing biz, one of the hardest realities to process has been the graduation of the athletes, made especially difficult knowing that the majority of these young adults will never play competitively again.
It’s hard to believe, considering the amount of time, money and effort our culture pours into those formative years from youth sports all the way to the final game of senior season. And then after all of this athletic training, we hope and pray that our kids have built enough character through these endeavors to prosper as adults.
But it’s those sports opportunities — or at least our willingness to take advantage of them — that seem to disappear the moment we step off the high school ball field. Even the small group of stars that have earned a few extra years at the college level are expected to eventually “grow up” and focus on more important things, like starting a career and building a home and family.
Soon, before they know it, these athletes are 30, and then 40 years old, decades removed from their athletic glory years. For many of them, their only connection to sports — other than the television — is living vicariously through their own children, a practice which doesn’t always result in a happy experience for the kids.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You might have to look a little bit harder than when you were you were younger, but there are athletic opportunities that exist for adults. There are local basketball, soccer, volleyball, and pickleball leagues that welcome grownups of all abilities.
Even myself, a high school bench-warmer in baseball, got to live out a dream with my favorite game during a short stint in a sandlot league.
As a columnist on the sport of running, I feel obligated to share with you the easiest gateway to adult sports: Registering for a race.
The obligations are not difficult. Your requirements, at the bare minimum, are to show up on competition day and run the race, a process that takes only 30-60 minutes for most events. How much training you put in is up to you, but after a small taste of racing, you just might find yourself returning to that athletic grind that provided so much stability and guidance, once upon a time.
Sports are fun. We should all continue to play them and support our friends that participate.
If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for the kids, who have so much more to gain from watching their parents on the field than they do from being hovered over during their own experience in the sports arena, which is supposed to be fun more than anything else.
If you’re a senior athlete reading, a lot of this might not make sense. Some of you might even be looking to forward to not having practice after school every day, and that’s OK. But I know there are many others like me — once a 17-year-old boy who couldn’t stop crying after playing his last football game — that lose a part of themselves when they step off the field for the last time.
To them I say this: Sports don’t have to end after graduation. It took me decades to figure that out for myself, but your journey into this adult sports world can start as soon as today.
1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD
There were more than 400 runners gathered in Hagerstown for St. Patrick’s Day Run Fest, an event that included race distances of 5K, 8K, and one mile.
None of those runners were moving faster than Waynesboro’s Kyle Phillips, who blasted through the 8K at a 5:13/mile clip to win his race in 25:56. Phillips, 32, a former Division 2 runner for Bloomsburg, ran at a faster pace than both the 5K (5:27) and mile (5:15) winners. He led a talented 8K field that also included Hagerstown’s Andrew Bowers (8th in 31:26), Allie Isaacs (2nd female in 33:07), Michael Sanders (34:58), Will Marquiss (35:18), and Julie Quelet (3rd female in 36:44).
The 5K race at Run Fest, which featured a field of 295, was highlighted by Top 10 finishes from three Smithsburg runners: Jonathan Kisas (3rd in 18:45), Sean Allen (8th in 19:55), and Rob Hovermale (9th in 20:16). Hagerstown’s Isaacs doubled up on her podium finishes by taking third female in 21:13. Those runners were chased by Hagerstown’s Zach Paulson (20:56), Maxwell Dobbins (22:19), and Reginald Lushbaugh (22:37), as well as Saint Thomas’ Jaxson Martin (21:51).
Staying in Hagerstown, the Doc Trot 5K drew 110 runners, including Smithsburg’s David Lehr, who blasted off for victory in 19:30 over a field that included Hagerstown’s Tim Edmands (5th in 23:08), Bradley Reed (7th in 23:25), Steve Brooks (10th in 23:40), Alexander Bishop (24:14), and Randy Wyne (24:53).
The country roads at the Chambersburg Half Marathon were mastered by Greencastle’s Jarrett Gelsinger, who was Franklin County’s lone Top 10 finisher. Gelsinger clocked a 1:26:37 for sixth place to lead a group of locals that included Waynesboro’s Wyatt Kenno (1:29:33), Chambersburg’s Sarah Boward (1:37:52) and Wade Gorman (1:45:58), Greencastle’s Emanuel Ciocan (1:39:02) and Matthew Smith (1:40:02), and Saint Thomas’ Katelyn Clever (1:38:34).
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend in Virginia Beach, Va., was jam-packed with area runners. Mike Martin, of Hagerstown, posted a time of 1:35:42 to lead a speedy group of locals that included Chambersburg’s Briggs Martin (1:42:03) and Meghan Durniak (1:43:01), Hagerstown’s Megan Curry (1:50:46), Greencastle’s Maddie Durniak (1:58:10), and Waynesboro’s David Shank (1:58:12). Chambersburg’s Christine Molloy logged finishes in both the marathon (4:40:14) and 8K (52:04).
The Blazing Saddles races in Hanover included finishes from two Chambersburg runners. Jason Carregal finished the eight-mile race in 1:41:16, while Cody Kriner completed the 50K in 8:55:56.
A number of others were active in races across the region and beyond, including Waynesboro’s Kofi Owusu (31:28 at Lucky Charm 4 Miler), Greencastle’s Mark Taylor (1:01:24 at Gold Rush 10K), Todd Yoder (1:15:03 at Fire on the Rocks 10K), and Montana Duty (1:53:01 at Annapolis Half Marathon), Chambersburg’s Christine Metcalfe (28:37 at Phillies Charities 5K), Fairfield’s Patrick Mongold (22:55 at Celtic Run Fest 5K), Max Holz (24:09 at Ocean City Shamrock 5K), and Jacob Plank (56:32 at Annapolis 10K), and Hagerstown’s Maddie Hanes (21:53 at Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K), Israel Gonzalez (34:47 at Annapolis 5K), Lauren Creamer (36:48 at West End St. Patrick’s 5K), and Joshua Gesell (3:38:42 at Terrapin Half Marathon).
Finally, a shoutout to Chambersburg’s Levi Miller, who ventured to Alcoa, Tenn., for The Pistol 100 Mile. Miller quite literally put in a full day’s work, completing the race in 24:13:18.
And now, a look ahead:
Fulton County Library Easter 5K: Saturday, 9 a.m., in McConnellsburg. Whether you’re chasing a PR, walking with friends, or pushing a stroller, this race suits those of all abilities. Find the race on runsignup.com.
Hub City Half Marathon: Sunday, 8 a.m., in Hagerstown, Md. This race, in its second running, starts and finishes at Meritus Stadium. Check out the event on runsignup.com.
FFCM Orchard 5K: Saturday, April 4, 8:30 a.m., in Waynesboro. Celebrate Traesure Apple Ranch’s opening weekend with this event, which offers peaceful views of apple trees, open farmland, and early spring scenery. Look for the race on runsignup.com.
Also: Capital 10 Miler/10K (Saturday, in Harrisburg); Medal Madness 5K/10K/13.1M (Saturday, in Hughesville); Just A Short Run 5K/8.1M/13.1M/30K (Saturday, in Allison Park); Kutztown Fools Run 5K/10M (Saturday, in Kutztown); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, in Manheim); Roger Snyder Memorial Race 5K/10K/13.1M (Saturday, in Richfield); Run for the Haven 5K (Saturday, in Lancaster); The Last One Standing 5K (Saturday, in York); Washed Clean 5K (Saturday, in York); Rosaryville Half Marathon (Saturday, in Upper Marlboro, Md.); Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon (Sunday, in Philadelphia); B&A Trail Marathon (Sunday, in Severna Park, Md.); Operation Enduring Warrior Half Marathon (Sunday, in Potomac, Md.); Super Bowl Trail Run 7 Miler (Sunday, in Baltimore, Md.); Bunny Hop 5K (Saturday, April 4, in Shippensburg); Pirate 5K/10K (Saturday, April 4, in New Cumberland); Pirate 5K/10K/13.1M (Saturday, April 4, in Biglerville); Hot Chocolate Run 5K/10K/15K (Saturday, April 4, in Philadelphia); The Long Run Spring Forward 5M/3H/6H (Saturday, April 4, in Wind Gap); York County SPCA Tails on the Trail 5K (Saturday, April 4, in York); YRTC Spring Races 5K/10K/10M/13.1M (Saturday, April 4, Connellsville); Pirate 5K/10K/13.1M (Saturday, April 4, in Bel Air, Md.); SBY Marathon (Saturday, April 4, in Salisbury, Md.); Wild Trail 5K/10K (Saturday, April 4, in Thurmont, Md.); Main Street Mile (Wednesday, April 8, in Westminster, Md.).
