Remembering Dan the Runner, the Man

"It’s not the race or competition, it’s the training."

I brought my gym bag to Dan Scharfman’s funeral service on Wednesday. He would have approved. We weren’t close friends, but enjoyed a fellowship of sorts, amateur athletes, training to the best of our ability. For Dan, that talent, that capability, was considerable. He was competitive. Dan ran his last marathon well under four hours.  Still, he said little about his achievements.  So, many of us never knew he moved beyond marathons to 50-mile runs until his obituary, or that he was recently training for a 100-miler.   Once in while he and I met running, in opposite directions, since I could never keep his pace, on Concord Avenue or the Alewife Bike Path. We’d chat for minute or two, and then he’d head off to finish his run and get to one …

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