Had this summer been anything close to resembling a normal summer, this morning I would not have run alone at sunrise. Instead, a couple of hours later, I would have rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled through the streets of Belmar in the company of a few thousand other runners in the annual Belmar Five Mile Run.
Of course, in the year of COVID-19, the 2020 Belmar Five Mile Run did not happen this morning. It shall not happen - for real - in 2020. Any runner who registered for the 2020 edition can simply defer his or her entry to next year, thus saving the 2021 entry fee, participate in the "virtual" Belmar Five Mile Run, which shall take place between August 22, 2020 and August 30, 2020, request a refund of this year's entry fee, or donate this year's entry fee to the Goodwill Hose Company, which is a volunteer fire company in Belmar.
While I enjoy running in solitude in the morning's wee small hours, I am sad that this summer shall be the first one in a decade in which I do not participate in the Belmar Five Mile Run. It is a hard event, given that you spend a considerable amount of time running away from the water in the heat and humidity that serve as Jersey's July calling cards. It is also a great social event. Most years my friend Jerry Della Torre - after finishing a mile or so ahead of me - waits for me at the finish line so we can walk the mile-plus to Bar A and enjoy the Jersey Shore's best Bloody Marys. While at Bar A, I usually see another friend with whom I cannot keep up during the race, Mike O'Connell, and we enjoy an adult beverage or two.
Last year, it turned into a mini-class reunion. Three great folks (George, Jill, and Melinda) who had the misfortune of graduating from high school with Yours truly a lifetime or so ago all ran. The four of us spent a bit of time in each other's company at Bar A post-race.
(There is no truth to rumor that we were all drunk
by time this photo was taken, which is why we are
all smiling. Well, a little truth...)
While I miss this summer not having a Belmar Five Mile Run, I understand its absence. Its absence is necessary. I am hopeful that by this time next year, life shall have returned to normal, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and I shall spend a portion of the Saturday following 4th of July in the company of a couple of thousand runners, including some good friends.
-AK
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