Ghost Town 38.5 closing the gate after 2011 event
September 2nd, 2010Hey all,
I’ve been having a debate with myself since January. Some elements of the debate were posted after the 2010 Ghost Town. Well, for several reasons - none of them catastrophic or buzz-worthy - I am officially announcing that the gates will close for good after the 2011 Ghost Town.
It’s simply time.
I actually spent time thinking about when to make this announcement, and decided now was best. Alumni and their referred running buddies and family members are registering now. General registration will open and be done on Oct. 1. I don’t want anyone coming with the hope of making GT an annual event. I don’t want to mislead anyone about GT’s future.
The field limit is 75, though depending on where registrations stand when the alumni finish filing in, I may reduce that number to keep this final running something intimate - a weekend with my close friends. For many of the runners over the years have become just that to me and Matt - our favorite friends.
Some of you may have questions about the “why?” The best reasons I can give - directing Ghost Town as I have done has been an “all in” job for me. I’ve loved it, but I am feeling a bit depleted, a little crankier than I like to be, a little less patient with all the demands and needs and opinions. Though I’ve struggled (and I think successfully so) to maintain the integrity of the event as I first envisioned it, I need to restore.
Of late I’ve not been walking. I’ve not been creating. I have a growing desire to learn a new art form, expand my vegetable garden (currently five large pots), and to seek calm and quiet. I need to restore my spirit.
Yes, it’s selfish of me. I know I am letting a lot of runners down and that is the only really hard part of saying good-bye to a dream I nurtured to life and nurtured to sustain. For Ghost Town has never been “just a run.” It’s a whole weekend of people making friends, feasting, celebrating, and yes, running. It’s been a great joy.
So, without her money or her new network, I guess I’m pulling an Oprah. I’m closing the gates before they get rusty.
If you’ve always wanted to run the Ghost Town but have been putting it off until a future year - now you have fair warning.
Anyway, so many of you have been friends to me, I thought it time to share the news.
Laugh freely, walk far (I should have the time now),
susan
the Ghost Town 38.5
www.journeyheretothere.com
