Whats YOUR greatest running moment?

My best running moment didn't come in a race, for two reasons: 1). I never won any major races in high school or college. I won my conference once, and I was all-state my senior year, but never won state. 2). I put so much pressure on myself during races, even in regular season, that I was never satisfied with my performance. I always felt as though it should have been faster.

So I think my best running moment came a couple years ago when I ran non-stop to the top of Howard's Knob in Boone, NC with a buddy of mine. We started at my apt. which was about 3-4 miles from the base of the knob. It was another 2 miles or so to the top. This was not a long run and it may not be that big an achievment. But it was HARD AS HELL for me and didnt' think i'd be able to do it. The grade is incredibly steep and it never levels out once you start. It's entirely uphill. Then when we got to the top we took in the scenery for a few minutes before decending back down. It was pretty sweet for me. I absolutely would not let the pain stop me and I was proud of that.

I did a run just like this yesterday. There's hill/small mountain near where I'm staying, it's about four miles away, plus one mile straight up. Even though I'm in pretty good shape I haven't been doing many hills lately, and it was hard as heck the last half mile, but a beautiful view from the top. As for my greatest running moments, I would say it's the first few miles after a long day at the office, feeling all the problems just slip away, and hearing nothing but my footsteps and a light breeze. Corny, I know, but I love it.

Best one was just last fall... a run by myself on a beautiful leaf-covered trail in autumn-colored deep woods as the sun was setting. All Was Right With The World, that day, for me.

Finding out we'd finished 3rd in the All-State meet my Junior year of XC. Before the meet, we were thinking (team and coach) a top-12 performance would be solid. Also, I was hoping for top-25, and ended up 13th. I'll never forget the feeling after that race.

The one when I was on my way to work one morning and saw smoke coming from a triple decker. I stopped and 2 guys staggered out with smoke covering their noses and mouths. I looked in the window and saw a sofa in flames. I looked up and asked if anyone else was in there. They said no. I knew there had to be there were 2 more floors. I ran up the stairs and some other guy followed me up. I banged on the 2nd floor door yelling. Wake up there's a fire and went up to the 3rd floor and did the same. A young couple answered. I walked in asked if there were any children. They said no and followed me out. The other guy was in front of me with an elderly couple from the 2nd floor escorting them out. The fire trucks pulled up and the girl was complaining her cat was still in there. I went on my way and stopped about a block away and looked back. By now the flames were coming through the roof. The next day the local newspaper had an article with a picture of the couple holding their cat. She was quoted as saying "I heard some guy yelling and screaming" etc.

My best run and a true story. Nothing that any person with balls of steel wouldn't have done for his community.

July 26th 1990. Crossing the line in 3:57 1500m. The most perfect run for me ever. Everything went right that night.

it was pouring rain but i had pegged the night to try and qualify for nationals, so i said f*** it and tried anyway. the rabbit took me out in 52 (about a second faster than planned), dropped out at 600 and i was all alone and knew it was going to hurt. i pushed out every last hundreth i had over the final 200m. it was the most pain i have ever felt in a race, by the time i was in the last 100 i thought i wouldn't make it to the line. i crossed in 1:50 ( a solid time for me, even without the rain) and couldn't see or stand up. i've never felt that satisfied before or after a race since.

This year (soph high school). We do this runathon fundraiser at our school, basically run as many laps as you can in an hour, a week before our first meet. I was pretty crappy as a frosh (1808 3mile) but I worked my ass off and I ran with the top group all summer. Anyway I just felt awesome and I started off at like 620/610 pace in the main pack behind our two best runners. Then about half way through I started to pick it up almost subconciously. I ended up catching up to the top two and pushing the pace so that only one of them stuck with me. I did 41 laps in 1 hour and 20 seconds, faster than my 3 mile race pace the year before. I felt invincible.

freshman year high school regionals i was seeded somewhere in the middle at the two mile. No chance in hell of advancing. I hadnt even run a varsity two mile before. This race i felt great, I had no clue what I was doing but i lead for a bit and took second. At sectionals i was outkicked by my own older team mate (who didnt beat me once this year)

In 6th grade I won my school district's cross country championship beating about 100 boys in a 1/2 mile xc race. My first big victory as a runner. I was a very shy, quiet kid but that race was a defining moment in my life. Running gave me a lot of self-confidence. That race was 25 years ago and I'm still trying to top that performance.

Running 3:43.13 edging out Noah Ngeny.