Running commentary

As summer has certainly given way to fall, both here in South Korea and in Sisters Country, runners are trading heat, dust, and humidity for cooler temperatures and some rain.

Personally, it's my favorite time of the year for running.

Let's start with what's happening here in Daejeon, South Korea and then move back to Central Oregon.

Humidity for me fits in the category of mosquitoes, lima beans, and dental work: I want nothing to do with any of them. With daytime highs here in the upper 80s most of August and well into September, the mornings started in the 70s with plenty of moisture in the air. I have a five-minute walk to school and ultimately had to begin carrying a washcloth to wipe my brow along the way. I would arrive at work with my dress shirt stuck to my skin and a need to tear the tie from my neck.

Running at 5:30 a.m. was the coolest option, but within minutes even my quick-dry running shirt would be as wet as when I take it from the washer. The promise from locals that the weather would shift around mid-September became my lifeline of hope. Sure enough, just at the start of the Chuseok Holiday week September 9, I woke to a sweet, crisp morning that I have relished each day since.

My son Izaak, too, has felt less oppressed in his workouts and races as a member of the TCIS Golden Dragons cross-country team. After struggling with the heat in the first meet of the season, he has felt and looked more like his typical self ever since, winning one race and placing a strong third in the next. On Saturday, September 28, he won the annual Dragon Run, which is a fundraiser for the team. He ran sporting an Outlaws singlet which is on loan from the Sisters team. He finished in 17:50, which would have placed in the top 10 in the local Outlaw Invite, which took place in Sisters on the same date.

I had to smile as I found myself doing what I have done so many times in Sisters - helping direct a fun run for the local community. Since many of the participants of the race were non-Korean staff members including my wife Deirdre, and with Izaak wearing his black-and-white Outlaws singlet, for a moment it looked just like home.

Running really is the universal sport.

So in the spirit of promoting fun-run fundraisers, check out the "Running on Faith 5k and Kids Dash" scheduled for Saturday, October 5, sponsored by St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, which will be staged at Troy Field across from the old St. Francis School in Bend at N.W. Bond and Louisiana Street.  There is a great discount for families, so it could be a great way to get everyone in the house out and active.

Check for this and a bunch of other local events at the FootZone website at www.footzonebend.com.