Macabre Metaphor Lost on Elderly Runners
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A group of senior runners Sunday took part in a race at a local park, Dumb Runner has learned, oblivious to the grim symbolism inherent in their slow, inexorable progress toward the finish line.
The runners, all in their 70s or 80s, appeared relaxed and happy throughout the race, according to a source. Several broke into a kind of frenzied shuffle as they neared the end, marked by a wide plastic tape printed with the word “FINISH”—a metaphor that even a child would recognize and that many writers would dismiss as too on the nose.
Average life expectancy in the United States is 75 years for males, 80 years for females.
Any gallows humor was lost on the runners themselves, the source said, describing a scene of lighthearted bonhomie in the event’s home stretch.
“There was a lot of back-slapping and joking around,” said the source. “One guy, who must have been 80, at least, seemed determined to ‘win,’ and another one, maybe in his late 70s, was on his heels, saying, ‘I’m right behind ya!’ and stuff like that.”
“It was really something.”
Reached for comment, one of the runners, Art Selwyn, 78, said the race was “all in good fun” and that it didn’t matter who reached the finish line first.
“Eventually, we all reach the end,” he said. “Some just take a bit longer than others.”
