The 24th annual Wring Out the Old, Ring In The New trail event included a combination of 11 runners and walkers who came together to bid farewell to 2023 and help usher in the new year at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area in nearby Maryland.
Four Creek Road Runners showed to salute the year 2024. From left are Bob Opila (the two), Bill Rose (the zero), David James (the other two), and Bruce Hubbard (the four).
Here’s a 27-year-old flashback look at University of Delaware (UD) faculty retiree CRR Larry Cogburn, who recently touched base with a brief update.
Cogburn has been a Creek Road Runner very nearly since its inception in the 1980s, and it’s clear that he’s enjoyed the affiliation. Here’s what he had to say.
I have bought many Creek Road Runners tank-tops, T-shirts, and sweatshirts over my years at UD and have worn them proudly locally, nationally, and internationally [as evidenced in the photo].
I served as a US. Army combat medic in the Second Indochina War (a.k.a. Vietnam War) 1968-1969, arriving in that country days before the TET Offensive. Afterwards, I completed my higher education (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.) under the VA’s G.I. Bill while maintaining physical fitness and enjoying years of mountaineering.
I joined the UD Animal Science Faculty in 1979, developed a robust research program in Molecular Endocrinology and Functional Genomics, and taught advanced animal physiology to Pre-Vet majors until my retirement in 2017. During my early days, I ran 40-50 miles per week and worked out in [UD’s employee fitness center].
My running declined after I reached 50 years old, but I have walked more and worked out regularly in the [fitness center].
And Cogburn is still working out each week. Kudos, and thanks for your service.
Recently, the Office of Marketing and Communications at the University of Delaware published an interview article with UD’s Dean of the College of Health Sciences, CRR Bill Farquhar. One thing that didn’t appear was this veteran runner’s take on how the college that he heads integrates and supports running. Here’s what he said when asked about this by Creek Road Runners.
CRR:How does research on running fit into the goals of the College of Health Sciences [CHS]?
Farquhar: CHS has a large portfolio of research related to gait analysis. Most of this is focused on rehabilitation for various patient groups—not running-focused research per se, but we do have a lot of expertise in this space. In general, we have faculty and staff from multiple departments who promote healthy lifestyles, which include walking and running. Also, our excellent PT clinic has helped many recreational athletes return to their sport, including me!
CRR Steve Goodwin has been a fixture on Creek Road during his 30-year tenure at the University of Delaware.
Not that he’s looking for publicity or anything like that, but when Goodwin (known to many friends, colleagues, and former students as “Goody”) retired this month, it was wholly appropriate that someone document in writing a summary of the true good that he did during in his teaching/mentoring career at UD. Here’s an excerpt from that article:
Goodwin, an associate professor of health behavior and nutrition sciences, who’s retiring after 30 years, was inspired to start [a class about happiness] about halfway into his career at UD after re-reading The Art of Happinessby the Dalai Lama.
“I want my students to be better people,” Goodwin said. “Being a better person can take on a lot of different aspects of their life, and certainly being healthier is being better in some ways, but I’ve always felt it was really important to affect them in the way they interact with others and treat others with respect. If you can help people do that, they’re a better person.”
Steve, Creek Road Runners wish you happiness always, both on and off Creek Road.
For several years, CRR Bruce Weber has been placing prominently in his age group locally. Today, the former Dean of the Lerner School of Business at the University of Delaware has started a new job as Dean of the Zicklin School of Business at the City University of New York’s Baruch College.
Bruce Weber enjoys a final get together with Bill Rose and Mark Deshon.
Knowing he’d soon be departing Delaware, though, Weber crammed in a few last 5Ks while here—two of them, in fact, in three days, in steamy-hot summer weather—and winning the 60-69 age group in each.
On July 2, Weber burned the Midnight Oil at its Red, White & Brew 5K in Glasgow, running a 20:40* while placing 7th overall. Two days later on July 4, he set off the annual Firecracker 5K in Wilmington by running a 20:29, placing 17th overall.
For his local swansong, Weber ran the Ulster Project Delaware 5K in Wilmington on July 13, placing 10th overall in 21:01* in sweltering conditions.
As representatives of the Creek Road Runners, CRR Bill Rose and CRR Mark Deshon took the Harvard track alum Weber out to lunch on Friday, July 14 (his final day in Newark) after jogging a 5K distance together out and back on Creek Road. He’ll be missed for sure, but Creek Road Runners wish him all the best, as he establishes a CRR presence in The Big Apple.