Everybody bring yourself back to the fall of 2019, the last year in our new collective BC (before COVID). While some of you reading this were mere 9th graders at the time (*shudders*), for me it was my first semester at the University of Maryland. 

On around the second or third day of classes I received a message from my high school cross country teammate and future club running NPC Mikie Gonzales imploring me to join him at “unofficial” club practice later that afternoon. I decided to go, and at promptly 5:00 I arrived at the School of Public Health, or at least what I thought was the School of Public Health. Unfortunately for me, I thought that Mikie had meant the University Health Center. After popping off a few frantic texts I sprinted across campus to the real SPH. Luckily, despite my lateness everyone there was just standing around talking and had not started running yet. I later learned that not starting practice anytime remotely close to 5 was a long honored club tradition that persists to this day. 

We started running the Neighborhoods route (the old-fashioned way, with all the hills). I quickly started falling behind the rest of the group, and as we entered the neighborhood I could see them fading from my sight. Suffering under the thick August heat, I began feeling dispirited. Even in high school I was never that fast, but this was a whole other level of embarrassing. I began to think that maybe this club thing wasn’t for me.

Suddenly, I begin to see an almost messianic figure running back towards me. 

“Do you know how to get back to campus?” the benevolent runner asked. 

Despite my pride, I had to be honest with him. I had just moved into my dorm less than a week ago and had no idea how to make my way around town yet. 

“No.” I said. 

Lo and behold, my savior was none other than Club President and fellow Boston Celtics fanatic Colin Sybing. He slowed down his pace and ran back to SPH with me, asking me all sorts of questions about my running experience in high school and what I was studying at UMD. At the end, he asked whether I would be coming to the official practices the following week. 

Luckily, I did. Equally luckily, the Pope of the Slows Elliott Hayes quickly took me under his wing. Among many other lessons Elliott first let me know that at least some members of the club did not run at 7 flat pace, as they were during my ill-fortuned first club run. 

Four years later, I am sadly preparing to depart from the club, at least in an official capacity. When I think of what I’ll miss most, it isn’t the nationals van rides or trivia nights, Sunday long runs or Yiner visits, or even the Freddy halves and Terrapin Invites. No, what I’ll miss is just being at the track with everyone on a warm spring day. Running, vibing, hearing the music blast from the speakers. Beautiful weather. Beautiful company. A beautiful sport. What else could a man ask for? 

See you all in next year’s alumni mile. 

Adam