It was cold and clear that morning February 17, 1980 as our small band of adventurers gathered on South Broadway for our last long run before the Arkansas Marathon, coming up on March First. My neighbor and a friend were going to run ahead since they were slim, lightweight fellers with a flair for speed. My running buddy, John Woodruff, and I would follow. We were fairly lightweight ourselves, after months of preparation. Still, “slow and steady” was our style.

Our path would take us from South Broadway, over the Arkansas River to North Little Rock. From there, we would follow the path of an old urban renewal project to the base of Fort Roots Hill. This was a former military base, the land having been traded to the Federal Government in 1892 in exchange for the property now known as MacArthur Park. The base was named for Congressman Logan H. Roots in recognition for his work in the negotiations

 After jogging up the hill, some 500 feet or so in elevation, we would turn around and head back south through Little Rock. We would head for the new interstate bypass that would soon circle the city to the south and east. Most of the roadway was complete to the south. It was suitable for jogging all the way to the Arkansas River, where they were just beginning to build the new bridge. We would pass north of the community of College Station, south of Little Rock’s airport, turn around at the river and come home, a little over 20 miles we figured.

Did I mention we were young and foolish?

You were actually supposed to be a little ahead of that distance with a couple of weeks to go. We started late in our preparations, and, as I have hinted, we were not good about reaching cognitive and reasoned conclusions. So, with our wives not thinking of us at all, and with gentlemen all over Arkansas then-a-bed and, no doubt thinking themselves accurs’d they were not there, most certainly soon to hold their manhoods cheap while any would speak of our “Demolition Day” run, we started, our brave band of brothers.

Demolition Day run? Oh, did I forget to mention that they were going to blow down a couple of old hotels in Little Rock that day? Stay Tuned.

Across the River and up to the
top of the hill we went, back in the day.