Good-Bye, Mr. Carnevale

In recent years, at many races in North Jersey, there was a battle for last place. Sometimes it would be won by Dudley Healey, of Chatham and other times by Vincent Carnevale, of Bloomfield. I just stumbled on Mr. Carnevale's obituary. It was a joy to see him coming in to the finish of a race. Many of us who were regular racers would interrupt our post-race rituals to clap and cheer. I'm sure an awful lot of us were praying that we'd have the honor of finishing last to that kind of reception. You see, Mr. Carnevale wasn't a kid, nor was he middle-aged. He was 89 years old. His rival, Mr. Healy, is now 90. Most of us, as runners, recognize the frailty of our bodies, so it was with great respect that we looked up to those who would get out there and fight the good fight against age and injury. We held him in high esteem.