Category Archives: competition

50 years of running: Saying goodbyes and taking on a new life

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

As the school year wore down in 1970, the time for our family to move to Illinois soon arrived. My father moved out to Illinois after taking a job with an electronics company in rural Geneva. He lived in an … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running and the will to win at any cost

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

When we lose at something it can feel like a small death. But when we accept losing because it is part of life or even embrace losing as a means to move beyond our present circumstance, that is smiling back at death. It’s hard to admit, but that’s a lesson most of us have to learn time and again. It certainly was the case with my distance running career, where a win one week was no guarantee of a win the next. As the saying goes, you’re only as good as your last victory.
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50 Years of Running: Formative youth experiences

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

By the time I reached sixth grade, I’d earned a reputation as one of the better athletes in the grade. I recall being invited to a basketball clinic at the high school where the coaches took a first look at … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son and the power of a right arm

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Nothing mattered more to me in elementary school than the playground. After sitting inside the classroom for a couple hours, we’d be released to go outside the do the things we loved. We played kickball on the macadam behind Willow … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 6

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Navigating childhood is a wandering path of growing friendships, responding to parental influence, and engaging in varying degrees of imagination. My best memories of childhood all center around playing in the yard of our Pennsylvania home. For starters, there were … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 5

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Not long after our family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my mother made connections with another mom whose son was the same age. That afternoon, she drove me to their house on Golf Road across the street from the Meadia Heights … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 3

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The advent of DNA genealogy and its revelations make it practical these days to understand family history even to the point of health risks and almost pinpoint accuracy about ethnic origins. While those scientific tools are helpful, they never tell … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Competition’s Son, Part 2

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

The town of Seneca Falls, New York, is well-known as the cinematic source for the town of Bedford Falls as depicted in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Even at the age of 60+ years old, I can well recall … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running, Competition’s Son, Part 1

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

Over many years of running with hundreds of teammates, I’ve learned many ‘origin tales’ about how people (both men and women) got into running. When I began this blog series on 50 Years of Running, the origin tale began with … Continue reading →

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50 Years of Running: Newlyweds and beyond

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Christopher Cudworth

In the summer of 1985, my wife and I drove to Glacier National Park in Montana for our honeymoon. The drive across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana took a few days. We stopped at the Badlands to stay … Continue reading →

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