Published: May 16, 2009 07:08 pm         

Big cats eye runners as they raise money for Exotic Feline Rescue Center

According to Jungle Law, one need not be faster than the tiger, just faster than at least one other runner.

At least this was my philosophy about 10 a.m. Saturday, waiting to run my first 5K along open-air pens full of the biggest cats in the Valley.

I’d seen the race fliers at Fitness Experts on Ohio Street a few weeks before, advertising a “Run Through the Jungle” within the Exotic Feline Rescue Center near Centerpoint. When I approached my editor about writing an article on running trails lined with tigers, lions and panthers, she thought it was a great idea.

And so it was that Tribune-Star photographer Bob Poynter and I showed up in the suburbs of Ashboro ready to run.

I’ve been a gym rat for about 20 years, but the last time I ran competitively was my junior track season at Northview High School when, just for fun, I added the 800-meter to my usual shot put and discus events. Between March and May of 1992, my crowning moment was a home meet where I almost beat some guy from Sullivan. Up until that moment, I had finished last in every race.

Believe it or not, the stands were full of fans in disbelief and teammates lined the track as we rounded the final curve. I still remember him looking over at me on the final 100-meter stretch, terror in his eyes, as the prospect of being outrun by a thrower propelled him safely across the finish line a couple strides ahead of me. Thus, my record remained unbroken.

Many of my life’s contributions have revolved around making others feel better about themselves.

So as I hung out at the wooded race point at Harmony and Ashboro roads with 291 runners and walkers, I knew I wouldn’t finish first, and no sliver of ego was shaking from this knowledge.

The sky was overcast and air cool from overnight thundershowers, and the ground was a little damp and muddy. But the atmosphere was more like a family reunion and most of the participants said they follow the circuit of races offered by groups like the Wabash Valley Road Runners, kids and grandkids in tow. Area musician Craig Brenner hit the keyboard, playing music as runners warmed up on the road, making for a Saturday morning festival out in the boondocks.

Within the woods, tables full of cookies, bananas, brownies and energy drinks were hit up left and right in the name of carb-loading, and I remembered reading how much sugar long-distance runners can consume as they prepare to burn it all off in one race.

Now, right off the bat, I figured any 13-year-old girl on any middle school cross country team would smoke me like a cheap tire. And the same went for the deceptively gray senior citizens lining the road. Anyone in between was fair game, particularly those carrying a 200-pound frame similar to mine.

Dave Ford and his wife, April, of Terre Haute, were there to walk the trail while their two kids ran. Both were kind enough to not laugh too hard as I joked that my goal was to average a 7-minute mile for the race. As lifelong Chicago Bears fans, they know how to cheer for optimists in the face of reality.

Nearly 300 people packed up on Ashboro Road outside the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, with instructions to run west to an intersection about 11/4 mile away, turn around, then come back for the final leg through the trails. This would give the crowd time to disperse into a stream and make for more room.

I got up at the head of the mob for the start. I regularly run for distance on my own, but had never been with a group that large and had no idea what my pace would be. My initial strategy was to hang with the fast runners and hope to pace with them.

This worked well for about 40 yards. After that, a rushing crowd moved past and I settled into a stride that seemed doable for the duration. Pre-teens and seniors passed me by, and as my shirt sopped up the sweat, I thought, good for them. I did get a little curious as guys who looked more like me than not began to pass, but as I rounded toward the second mile I saw them on walking breaks. Before I broke into the second mile, what had started as a 300-person blob had fragmented into a long stream of individuals moving ahead, slowing back, and moving ahead again, all seeming to have a good time.

As I suspected, participants in these events are as supportive as competitive, and as I passed Dave on the way back toward the center I yelled out that my 7-minute mile wasn’t going to happen.

He said he admired my math as he trekked up the road.

The winning group was crossing the finish line as I entered the last mile within the center’s trails, and I hopped down the paths into the mud as volunteers pointed out which way to go. Eight-hundred-pound tigers pressed their faces against their pens, and I did figure out which way not to go.

Two-thirds of the way into the 5K, I decided Jungle Law was nonsense. If it came down to me and Sher Khan in a race for survival, I’d be 200 pounds of tiger floss.

But aside from a few attention-grabbing roars, the animals seemed content to watch the lunch line move on by, lazily lounging around the big show. Heading back to the road and out the gate for the final stretch, which seemed all uphill, those who’d already finished jogged cool-downs back and forth along the paths.

I crossed the finish line at 30:11, making for about a 9.7-minute mile average and a 95th place I’m pretty happy with for my first time out on a 3.11-mile cross-country run.

According to race organizer Gary Anderson, Tom Webster, 31, of Columbus, took first place among the men with a time of 18.23. Janelle Ralph, 27, of Terre Haute, took first amongst the women with 19.29.

Anderson said Webster and Ralph both took first at last year’s race there as well.

This was the fifth year for the race at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, and Anderson said that after expenses, the group netted more than $3,000 for the cause.

“It’s worked out really well,” he said, explaining that he and the center’s veterinarian, Fred Froderman, came up with the idea when they saw how conducive the trails are to running.

While not an official Wabash Valley Road Runner event, Anderson said the group is always helpful in the organization and year after year produces a strong turnout.

“There are just so many stories about this race,” he said afterward, answering questions for one more as it was being written.

Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.