In this social construct that we call life, I am what you would call a “tough nut to crack.”
If you put me in a room full of people I don’t know, I will scan the food table and then find a corner to hide. I often do the same in a room full of people I do know.
I get self-conscious. I stumble over my words, and wonder if I’m speaking them through my nose. Anxiety creeps in and as the beads of sweat gather on my forehead, my clothes feel like they’ve shrunk two sizes. Am I wearing enough deodorant? Is my hair a mess?
As you can imagine, holiday get-togethers can be a nightmare. It’s harder for my gangly 13-year-old son, Paxton, who is an even bigger fish out of water than me.
Collectively, we are a big ball of awkwardness, but that doesn’t stop us from trying to fit in, like we did last weekend at a Labor Day party in Perry County, my childhood stomping grounds.
After a quick shaking of hands with the hosts, Pax and I are left to our own devices in the country clearing surrounded by mountains. He scoffs when I suggest he introduce himself to the teenage girls and instead hovers even closer in my orbit.
“How about that hill?”
Pax points to a steep, rocky path on the perimeter. It’s like he was reading my mind.
Our climb only lasts about 20 or 30 yards, but it’s a challenge as we have to lean our tall frames forward so we don’t fall down backwards. When we reach the top, we use our bird’s eye view to take stock of our fellow party-goers. Of the three dozen people at the party, we recognize about four. Those aren’t great numbers.
Our path continues downward to the other side of the hill and back up a smaller hill, which was being used as the parking lot. We continue the trail back into the woods under a felled tree and past the zip line, just out of range of the squealing children who were flying through the freshly-trimmed ravine.
Pax and I make it back to where we started, and take a quick break for cupcakes and a soda.
Then it’s back to the trail again. And again. And again. And again. Each trip, which came complete with snack stops at the buffet line, was chattier than the last.
The exercise must have served as a social warmup of sorts, because soon we were joining in the volleyball and cornhole games with everyone else.
Pax loosened up even faster than I did. He drew a few chuckles when he feigned stumbling around and claimed that he had put down too many root beers. By the time the sun came down, Pax was — and I’m not exaggerating — wielding a flamethrower to help the adults get the bonfire started.
We kept making new friends, and by the time the fireworks show came to an end later that night, we didn’t want to leave. It was quite the turnaround from our quiet start to the day. I’m glad we came and got to make core memories.
All it took was putting in one hill of an effort.
1 step back, 3 steps forward
While most people celebrate Labor Day by going to a cookout or perhaps taking a last-minute family vacation, there are a select few who enjoy the holiday in a different way: Hitting the race paths.
More than 300 runners turned out in Gettysburg on Monday for the Labor Day Free 5K, a race that does not charge an entry fee. Dozens of area competitors cashed in on the opportunity, including Fayetteville’s Riley Decker, who crossed the finish line in 20:46 to lead locals. Decker was followed by Fayetteville’s Dominic Decker (21:23), Fairfield’s Matt Hobbs (23:02), and Chayce Hobbs (23:02), and Waynesboro’s Jeff Bumbaugh (28:42).
In Shippensburg, trail runners were put to the test with the Furnace Run Trail 5K. Fort Loudon’s Dennis Reamer II was the area’s top finisher, clocking a 25:36 to win the Masters Division. He was chased to the finish line by Chambersburg’s Garrett Sipes (25:49), Fayetteville’s Brian Portier (27:49) and Kelsey Baer (28:31), Lemasters’ Trenton Morgan (29:04), and Fort Loudon’s Thomas Neil (30:11), all of whom nailed down AG hardware.
Another technically-challenging race, the High Rock Mountain Running Challenge in Cascade, Md., drew the attention of several top-shelf runners with local ties. Hagerstown’s Tony Clement crushed the 52-runner field in 20:23, while twin sisters and North Hagerstown cross country standouts Mackenzie and Caroline Philp finished 2-3 in 24:34 and 24:56, respectively. Other notable finishes were recorded by Hagerstown’s Kevin Magno (5th in 25:39), Anna Ramanan (28:03), and Ian Pullens (28:53), Waynesboro’s Kyle Downs (8th in 26:57), Chambersburg’s Katie Ziegler (10th in 28:07), and Greencastle’s Clint Rice (33:36).
Will Marquiss, of Hagerstown, brought his trail shoes to Bear, Del., to compete in the Bear Trail 10K. Marquiss blasted off for a finish in 50:57 to take seventh in the field of 108 runners.
The Annapolis 10 Mile Run drew more than 3,400 runners, and featured strong performances from a handful of locals, including Greencastle’s Michelle Dawson (1:43:11), Waynesboro’s Heather Burns (1:45:07) and Jeffrey Hein (1:45:09), and Hagerstown’s Erin Gedicke (1:47:28), Yulia Kravchuk (1:50:41), and Kiersten Stuch (1:54:39).
Greencastle’s Matthew Smith was a Top 10 finisher at Howard’s Half Marathon in Cumberland, Md. He zipped to the finish in 1:39:49 to take sixth overall. Hagerstown’s Bradley Reed logged a 1:56:31 to take second in the 50-59 AG.
The OCNJ Labor Day 5 Miler in Ocean City, N.J., brought out a sharp performance from Leanne Ludwick. She returned to Chambersburg with a medal after taking third in the 20-29 AG. Ludwick was followed by fellow Chambersburg runners Alec Bragg (46:25), Piper Bragg (50:11), and Ashley Bragg (54:27).
A number of others were active in races across the region and beyond, including Greencastle’s John Economos (30:20 at Kentlands/Lakelands 5K), Chambersburg’s Jack Patterson (24:23 at Tim Kerr 5K Island Run) and John McPaul (29:18 at Last Blast Prediction 5K), St. Thomas’ David Manikowski (26:04 at The Labor Day Lighthouse 5K), and Hagerstown’s Natalie Hill (1:04:05 at Footprints of Hope 5K), Paul Mikucki (1:55:12 at Crazy Monkey Mountain Bike Race), Mary Plank (2:33:16 at Charles Street 12 Miler), and Christopher Alexander (1:17:15 at Martinsburg Sprint Triathlon; 2:18:40 at Moonlight on the Falls Half Marathon).
And finally, a shoutout to Waynesboro’s Meghan Neumann, who finished as the top female in 56:53 at the Martinsburg Sprint Aquabike in West Virginia.
And now, a look ahead:
Cinnamon Bun Fun Run 5K: Saturday, 11 a.m., in Smithsburg, Md. This race starts in Veterans Park and ends at Hadley Farms Bakery with a complimentary cinnamon bun. Register for the race on runsignup.com.
Frederick Market Street Mile: Saturday, 9 a.m., in Frederick, Md. Challenge yourself with this race, put on by the Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club since 1983. Check out the event on runsignup.com.
Lock 2 Lock Marathon: Saturday, 7:30 a.m., in Williamsport, Md. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath will serve as the backdrop for this race, organized by 2 Lowe Run Company. Look up the race on runsignup.com.
Also: Bird-In-Hand 5K/Half Marathon (Friday-Saturday, in Bird-In-Hand); Boulder Field Ultra 18M/50K/100K (Saturday, in Jim Thorpe); Gretna Gritty Mud Run 5K (Saturday, in Lebanon); Medal Madness 5K/10K/13.1M (Saturday, in York); Hershey Miracle 5K (Saturday, in Hershey); Lighthouse 5K Run (Saturday, in Lykens); Live Laugh Love 5K (Saturday, in Shippensburg); Pine Creek Challenge 26.2M/50M/100K/100M (Saturday, in Wellsboro); Rock ‘N The Knob Trail Races 10K/20K/50K (Saturday, in Claysburg); Ron Shields Perry 5000 (Saturday, in New Bloomfield); Sasquatch Preservation Trail Run 5K/10K (Saturday, in Seven Valleys); Uprise Festival 5K (Saturday, in Shippensburg); Erie Marathon (Sunday, in Erie); Warrington Sprint Duathlon/Triathlon (Sunday, in Warrington); Wicked Fast Marathon Poconos (Sunday, in Lehighton); Harrisburg Half Marathon & 10K (Sunday, in Harrisburg); Thirsty Thursday 5K (Thursday, Sept. 17, in Reading); 9/11 Heroes Run 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Harrisburg); Amblebrook 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Gettysburg); Boulder Beast 24M/25K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Lock Haven); PB Festival Half Marathon (Saturday, Sept. 19, in New Bethlehem); Honey Brook Sweetwater Run 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Narvon); IM ABLE Games 2M/4M/8M (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Reading); Left, Right, Left 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Middletown); Medal Madness 5K/10K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Akron); Morning Star Shooting Star 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Harrisburg); Mountain Creek Mayhem 13.1M/20M/50K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Gardners); Pretzel Twist Race 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Lititz); Run to Revive 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Manheim); East Pete 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in East Petersburg); Trails 4 Tails 25K/40M (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Hanover); Troegs Rugged Trail Run for Conservation 5K (Saturday, Sept. 19, in Millersburg); Erie Duathlon (Sunday, Sept. 20, in Erie); Forever Friends Memorial Run (Sunday, Sept. 20, in Myerstown); Gigi’s 5K Dash for Down Syndrome (Sunday, Sept. 20, in Lancaster).
