Running is awesome. I've been running for thirteen years now and I've run every distance from 5K to 100 miles. I've done races in major cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as trail races in the mountains and in towns that you'd miss if you blinked while driving. A buddy of mine, Arjun, completed his first in person 50K race this past weekend in Auburn, California. To most people Auburn is just a small town in the Sierra foothills with not much going on, but the town holds so many cool memories for me and so many others. It's an iconic place for ultrarunners, especially in California. After Arjun finished the Fourmidable 50K he commented on how he had some good chats with other runners along the way and received a lot of encouragement, which ultimately helped propel him to the finish line in one piece. In most cases, it's a sharp contrast from road races in major cities where people have headphones on, the chatter among strangers is minimal, and people are hauling ass to the finish line. The more social and unstructured vibe of ultramarathons is derived from many things. The ultrarunner's personality, the remote nature of setting, the long distance, etc. In my opinion, this vibe is also created by small town charm.
As the title implies, this post is partially inspired by the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek, a show that Sam and I have been watching and enjoying quite a bit lately. The show centers around a wealthy family of four who lives a lavish life in a mansion with many luxuries. After their business manager gets busted for doing some some shady and illegal stuff, the family loses their wealth and is forced to move to Schitt's Creek, a small town in the boonies that they purchased years ago. Much of the humor throughout the show stems from the family being forced to live in piece of crap motel, the personality clashes they have with the residents of the town, and their struggle to fit in with the community. We've only watched up to about half way through season two, so I don't know what happens later on in the series, but from what I've seen so far, the theme of the show seems to be despite the personality and lifestyle differences among the wealthy family and the more modest residents of Schitt's Creek, the town has a certain charm to it, and the family has their place within the community. They are ultimately accepted by the the citizens of Schitt's Creek despite, or perhaps because of, their differences.
Because I have a love for nature and the outdoors and have run several ultramarathons at this point, it's suffice to say that I've had several memorable experiences in the small towns that I've visited. I've had my share of real life "Schitt's Creek" experiences, if you will. There's a town called Pinecrest about a three hour drive from Silicon Valley. I visit Pinecrest regularly during the winter time to do snow sports and I've taken Sam there several times as well. There's a certain town in Central California on the way to Pinecrest that has a lot of Schitt's Creek like vibes. One time we stayed in a motel in this town where there were several holes in the bedspread caused by burns from cigarettes or possibly more illicit substances. The bathroom had mildew on the shower walls, and the next morning as we were waking up, we heard a female voice outside of our room. "Linda! I'm gonna beat your ass, Linda!" I opened the door to see what was going on and saw a nervous looking chihuahua walking around by our door. It turned out the dog's name was Linda and her owner was the lady in the room next to us. Apparently she didn't like the way her dog was behaving. We got the hell out of there and stopped at a local restaurant, not really sure what would be thrown at us next. To our surprise, the food was delicious, the portions were big and inexpensive, and the people who worked there were very kind and generous to us. It wasn't something were were used to, living in Silicon Valley. I once heard a story from another fellow ultrarunner where he checked into his motel room in a small town in Wisconsin. He opened the door and found a sexual toy right in the middle of the motel room floor. Despite the incident, the small town charm was enough to prompt him to return several times. After finishing the Canyons 100K in 2018, I stumbled into a bar in Foresthill for a celebratory beer. I was still in my running gear, covered in dry sweat, dry mud caked on my legs. There were five people inside, including the bartender. On the surface, this group of guys was essentially Seabass and his buddies in the movie Dumb and Dumber. They didn't know what to make of me, and I didn't know what to make of them at first, but the night ended with me sharing bits and pieces of my crazy journey and them buying me a beer. I typically stop at a local doughnut shop in that same town in Central California on the way out to Pinecrest. When I walk into this tiny shop I typically nod or wave to the people inside and they say hello back. I like that. In Silicon Valley, people would think I'm nuts for doing that in most cases. I've had times where it would be either the night before an ultra or after I've finished the race, when I'd walk into a small restaurant in the town where I'm staying to have something to eat. I was somebody new walking into a small restaurant in this tight knit community, so needless to say I'd get some surprised looks. However, every single time, without fail, the people at these establishments and everywhere else in these towns have been very welcoming, and genuinely intrigued by the fact that I'm there to participate in an event that involves running a ridiculous amount of miles on a trail for an entire day, sometimes into the night.
It's because of these experiences that I not only look forward to running the races themselves, but also spending weekends in these communities. It's fun to go to the local restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and stores to experience the charm of these small towns. I'm a guy who comes from a busy, fast paced city in California, a world away from the more simple ways of life in these small towns. It's no secret that when I walk into a coffee shop or restaurant in these towns I stick out like a Golden Retriever in a kennel of Pomeranians. But I have yet to have an experience where I haven't been welcomed and embraced by the people, although I'm fully aware that it could, and probably will happen at some point. I don't think it's a situation where I enjoy the experience despite the differences, it's more like I enjoy the experience because of the differences. Change is good and I enjoy experiencing it. Spending weekends in these small towns when I run ultras is a nice break from my otherwise busy lifestyle and has become part of the experience. It's a good example of how all kinds of people can connect despite, and because of their differences.
