It’s still all about Cliff

The 40th celebration of our race is tomorrow.

Forty years! Put that in perspective.

Organizations advertise with great pride being in business half that length. The record is not so surprising when you go back to the race origin. Those founders, including Cliff Clark, had a vision for excellence that has carried forward all these years. Committees do not create excellence. Visionary people do.

Our Race started because a few serious runners designed an event for runners and to benefit  the local community.

As the running craze peaked in the 1980s, commercial interests jumped on the bandwagon. I ran a “Potato Hampton” 5K race that Dan’s Papers sponsored. The race was advertising for the free newspaper and its owner, Dan Ratner. I was very happy with my time. That was not too surprising. The course was laid out wrong — a quarter mile short of the 5K (3.2 miles) advertised distance. Those commercial ventures slowly died off, but the dedication to runners and community that marked the first of the Shelter Island races never stopped.

Cliff Clark is a runner, businessman, and community leader. I have known him in all those roles, but my most vivid image of him is none of those.

A little background: I ran most of those early Shelter Island races. My 6 -7 minutes per mile pace put me near the front at the start. (After the gun, my goal was to be able to see the lead runners.) I noticed that Cliff did not run many of those races. So where was Cliff? I remember this striking image of Cliff carrying two huge gray trash containers, one in either hand, working to keep the school infield neat. Classic Cliff. He was too busy ensuring the race experience was good for every runner, making them want to return

If you have chosen not to run this year, you should drive the course. Go to shelterislandrun.com and get the map. On Shelter Island, views and beauty are a given.

To lay out, an essentially circular course, starting and finishing at the school, and measuring exactly 10K (6.2 miles), that is a challenge. You will see its hills challenge even the elite runner; its views amazing for all; and its variety breaks the boredom. It is the perfect Shelter Island package.

So, our race is distinguished by runners, benefits, course and one other factor — history. Our race this weekend brings some great veterans of the road running back to Shelter Island. This only happens because of efforts of Cliff, Frank Adieptro and others.

Bill Rodgers is a prime example. Bill dominated the NYC Marathon in the 1970s. Watching Bill Rodgers running with his white gloves and near 5 minutes per mile pace, I said to myself, “I can do this.”

Bill went on to win five NYC Marathons. This weekend, try to meet and listen to these greats. They are inspiring and bring great ideas to young runners. Look at the calendar on the website.

Road races focus on individuals running against the clock. In marathons, it is rare for two runners to be in contention near the finish. I saw such a case of two runners within 25 feet of each other. Then, a bizarre thing happened. The lead runner made a right turn off the course onto the Central Park entrance. An amazing mistake!

But, good New Yorkers (there are some) pushed him back onto the course. In that brief diversion and confusion, he was now in second place. The winner would be determined by who still had the heart and courage to kick through to the finish. With less than a quarter mile remaining, this runner closed the gap and won.

Cliff Clark will not be running tomorrow. I believe he will not be carrying trash cans either. In a spiritual sense, he is on the course. He will continue to be there on Saturday and for all the future anniversaries.

And I know Shelter Islanders will do the right thing to push his spirit back on course should we ever forget the debt we owe him.