Running With an Absent Friend

Today I did my 20k Glendevon circuit. It’s a run I often used to do with Dario. In fact the very first time I met him we did this run and I remember it like it was yesterday.  About a third of the way round the route he climbed a fence and as if to prove how hard he was he promptly demolished the fence with his testicles, very impressive indeed.

A bit later on we were running along the drovers track through Glendevon.  Dario loved it there, he felt it reminded him of a sort of mini Glencoe and I could certainly see what he meant, and it’s a beautiful track to run on surrounded by spectacular steep hills.

Further on we were going along the single track road toward the reservoirs where he would regale me with stories from the WHW and his time training top class track athletes not to mention his own early life as a very competitive runner. Most of all though, his eyes shone when he spoke about the WHW and the characters he knew, mad Jim Drummond and the Drama queen to name just a couple.

Running back into the village I passed the pub where we used to go for a well earned pint. It’s now closed down so today I just ran home but it had been a brilliant run.

So you see, one thing is certain, every time I do this run I am never alone. Running alongside me all the way is my absent friend and though I miss him that makes me very happy.