BELL MEMORIAL RUN IN MT TABOR THIS THURSDAY

They are few and far between these days. The small town little road races have mostly died, a victim of the larger, professionally organized events and the lack of good solid volunteers who can lend a hand.

This Thursday, one of those rare small town races, the Bell Memorial Run 5K will take place in Mt. Tabor as it has for 16 of the last 17 years. Mark Philhower has been the race director for as long as anyone can remember, but even one so blessed with experience can need that helping hand. In 2002, the race did not take place for lack of those hands, but it has gone forward since then thanks in part to Keith Paterson, a lawyer and self described recreational runner. That changed last winter.

“I started back in college, I guess it started back then,” he said. “I turned fifty last year and I thought it’s time to run a marathon.”

His marathon was this April at the Jersey Shore, running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

“That was so much fun that I signed up for Marine Corps,” said Paterson. “It was super. What an experience.”

Paterson had heard of the Team in Training organization but knew little else. He knew that the Society helps train fledgling marathoners who help them raise money for the organization.

“I had no idea how fantastic it was,” he said. “They are so organized. They’ve got great coaches.”

Now in training for the Marine Corps, Paterson has recently run with the group at interesting places all over the state, like the D&R Canal Towpath in Middlesex County, the Columbia Trail in western Morris and the Paulinskill Trail in Sussex County.

“You get to go to interesting places you probably wouldn’t think to go running,” said Paterson.

He had praise for one Morris area running location, the Randolph Trails, with a little caveat about the trails.

Randolph trails are a good place to get lost,” he said. “We lost three of our runners who ended up in Mendham Township someplace.”

Paterson added that those three had not taken a trail map that could have helped them avoid their navigational error.

Paterson now is running about 45 miles per week, up 10 miles from his recreational running days, and feeling great about it.

“I’m feeling terrific - down to the 130’s for the first time since college,” said Paterson. “I’ve slimmed down and feel really fit. It’s nice to be fifty and feel fit.”

When Paterson attended his first Team in Training meeting in January, he wasn’t sure what to expect and wasn’t confident he could be ready for a marathon that quickly.

“I went down and listened and I told the head coach, ‘Well my top mileage is 12 to 14 – I don’t know if I could run a marathon,’” said Paterson. “He said, ‘sure, no problem. We’ve got ten weeks.’”

“I thought ten weeks was a little short to be training for a marathon,” said Paterson. “But it worked, I did a 4:09.”

“My only mistake at the Jersey Shore was to go out too fast,” said Paterson with a familiar runners lament. “You feel fresh and you want to run.”

Paterson expects some of his Team in Training buddies to come to the Mt. Tabor Run. Several ran in the Verizon Wireless Corporate Classic 5K in Morristown on July 20th. Paterson ran in the Lawyers for Kids 5K in Morris Township earlier this month and finished in a respectable 23:16.

Paterson’s two daughters, Alexandria 11 and Victoria 9, and Christopher, his nine year old nephew will be running in the Kids Fun Run on Thursday. Paterson is high on Mt. Tabor as a great place to raise children.

“There’s a lot of great activities for kids,” he said. “It’s a wonderful place to live.”

“I was disappointed when they didn’t have the race in 2002, because I have run in just about every one of them,” said Paterson.

When Paterson inquired of race director Mark Philhower about why the race wasn’t held in 2002 and learned that more helping hands were needed, Paterson was happy to step up. He has been doing so ever since.

“What I help him with is lining up sponsors and we have a lot of local businesses who will have their names on the t-shirt. Provident Bank will be supplying water bottles to hand out to all the runners,” said Paterson.

Mt. Tabor is aptly named. The 5K race course is challenging, but the fun of a small town race is worth the hill climbs. After the Fun Run at 6:30 p.m., the 5K will go off at 7:00 p.m. For more information call 973-627-7014.

For information about Team in Training, go to www.teamintraining.org.

 

Originally published on Sunday, July 31,2006 in the Daily Record of Morris County, New Jersey

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2006