Comrades 2010 - Bart's Run

My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso



Tony Parker



Have you ever considered running naked through the woods? Racing with a burro? Perhaps running with rhinos, traversing the Antarctic, or traipsing across Death Valley? Bart Yasso has and does! As only the best raconteur can do, Yasso tells his story of running from one adventure to another in his book, My Life on the Run. Bart Yasso is the Chief Running Officer for Runner’s World magazine, and has been helping race directors coordinate 5k’s, marathons, ultras, and more for decades. During his tenure with the magazine, he has been invited to nearly every running adventure conceivable. His honorary title suits the man and the sport. The Mayor of Running has led an astounding life, has overcome adversity, and is an inspiration to all who have laced up for their hometown 5k.

Over the years, Bart Yasso has been presenting a slide show from which this book came from. A spokesman for Runner’s World, he has given numerous talks at pasta dinners to help distract runners from their impending race. Yasso named the slide show “Never Limit Where Running Can Take You”. The goal of the show was to let runners know that life is full of possibilities and opportunities, and that we should never run with closed minds. He writes that invariably someone would tell him at the end of the show that they would like to read his book. Until now, the request could not be fulfilled. Writing a book is like running a marathon, and there was simply too much to do. Eventually he did pen his story, and his book is a continuation of the slide show, a compendium to life.

I found within the pages the story of a man who accentuates the positive. The profound theme in My Life on the Run is that we can overcome adversity. During a trip to Africa and an attempt at the Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon, Yasso felt weak and sick. Two-thirds of the way up the mountain, he found he could not see out of one eye. Not sure of what he suffered from, doctors in Africa urged him to return to the States as quickly as possible. What we learned is that Yasso was stricken with Lyme Disease. We have all heard of this disabling disease and think twice about heading into the woods during tick season. Yasso has had to live with the condition, and has not let the disease spoil his desire to live life at its fullest.

I’m getting ready to go for a run, surely not naked nor in Rhino country. Rather, I’m going to go for a quiet run down Red Banks Road and will try to reflect on all of the good things life has to offer, such as upcoming races and cooler weather. The worst I should fear will be a careless driver or a possible rogue squirrel. As I run, I hope to relive a few of the adventures Bart Yasso shares with us in My Life on the Run, and will remember his mantra, “Never limit where running can take you.”

June 7, 2010

Christ Almighty it was hot and humid this weekend. I attempted a simple 4 miler, and felt the salt eak out of my body. Hot. Humid. I committed to finishing this run, my long run. Medoc seems to be months away, but it is tomorrow. A little old lady, literally the stuff of fairy tales, pulled up beside me on North Overlook and asked if I were okay. No, honestly, I was dying, but I said, "No, I'm fine. Just hot. Thanks!" And then I trotted on, salt burning my eyes.

My sister later asked if that were me running along Greenville Boulevard near Charles. Yes, I said, that was me. Annette whispered that she nearly stopped and made me get into her van. At that point I may have. Christ, it was hot.

Bart Yasso ran Comrades, some 56 plus miles. He finished in just over 11 hours, 33 minutes, and some odd secondes. The cut off time for Comrades is 12 hours. Bart made it, and is my inspiration. He is battling a wicked case of Lyme's Disease which has damaged the right side of his body to the point of constant pain. But this race, this Comrades, has been calling his name for years, and finally, Bart Yasso conquered Comrades.

Since the orginal publication of this article in Achieve Magazine, Bart Yasso took on and defeated Comrades, The Last Great Race. Way to go, man!