On my last day as a resident of New York City, I shared a slice of sidewalk with Woody Allen on East 92nd Street.On my first run in my new Washington, D.C. neighborhood, I saw the president (of the United States) boarding Marine One in his backyard.
My first week in Flagstaff? I caught myself not-so-subtly peering into the grocery cart of Abdi Abdirahman at New Frontiers. If I had any doubt before that moment, I knew then that I had entered a new realm -- what passed for a celebrity sighting in Flagstaff, a place teeming with running geeks, was an entirely different matter. I wasn't proud, but I was curious what a three-time Olympic track star ate (no secret sauce there, just a lot of fruit and vegetables).
So, I giggle, this month when Ryan Hall's arrival in town was marked by Facebook status updates adorned with lots of exclamation points: "Ryan Hall is sitting in Macy's right now, drinking coffee, 5 feet away from me! I got his autograph!"
I assume that Hall, Olympian and second-fastest American marathoner of all time, and his wife, Sara, an accomplished professional middle-distance runner, can probably drink their morning brew in relative peace in most other regions of the world.
So, I asked Ryan what he thought of the Flagstaff running community's exuberant welcome to his new training ground.
Having recently left their training group in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., a town of approximately 7,000 people mostly interested in skiing, Hall said he is enjoying being in a place where his chosen sport and profession are appreciated. He and Sara are alternating training here and at sea level in Palo Alto, Calif., as he prepares for the Boston Marathon and she trains for track season.
"I draw energy off of being around people who are excited about running, so I love bumping into people at Macy's or seeing other people out running," he said. "We came here because there is such a huge running community and a ton of resources we need like gyms, tracks and top-notch therapists."
What the Halls like about running in Flagstaff is not much different than the rest of us, Ryan said: Sara can find great training partners while he pounds out tempo runs on Lake Mary Road, where he said he wouldn't hate a few shouts of encouragement if anybody spots him out there.
"I respond to being in a fresh environment," he said. "This place is special--I love connecting with the running community and hope to do things like stop by the local club track practice. It's fun giving and receiving all this energy and finding a lot of like-minded people."
Hall has a point. In the end, the presidential motorcade eventually did nothing but interrupt my morning miles. Woody Allen brought a fleeting moment of excitement. But in Flagstaff, our breed of celebrities is the kind we can share common training ground -- and maybe a cup of coffee, too.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
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