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8K to honor Running Man, an urban legend to some

Left: Courtesy of NBC 29 Right: Staff photo

In honor of Philip Weber III, aka Running Man, the director of Champion Brewing Company’s running club is organizing a memorial 8K that will take place on Saturday, May 28, and benefit the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library.

Weber died after he was struck by an SUV on Ivy Road last December.

“There were times when, to hear people describe the Running Man, you’d have thought they were describing some sort of urban legend,” says James Walsh, director of Champion’s Paavo’s Apostles, the weekly running club. “A guy who runs shirtless, double-digit miles every day, rain or shine, in snow and wind? Who does that? But generations of students and townspeople saw him out there on the road, doing his thing.”

Walsh says Weber’s reputation was that of an eccentric but good-hearted man. While planning the race, many people Walsh spoke to told tales of meeting Weber at gas stations, parties or out on the road, and leaving “with smiles from ear to ear.”

For the memorial run, Walsh says his group plans to set up a mini shrine to the Running Man at Champion Brewing Company, with photos of him on the road, medals from his races and other trinkets and remembrances.

Walsh collaborated closely with Weber’s sister and brother-in-law, and says they feel the race will be “an appropriate memorial and will provide a sense of closure after the long period of mourning.”

According to Joanne Catron, Weber’s sister, the family selected JMRL as the beneficiary because they want to ensure the library can continue being the inspiration to others that it was to her brother.

“When not running, Philip was an enthusiastic reader and he had a passion for learning,” she says. After he graduated from UVA, he continued to read books about subjects he had studied in college, such as architecture, chemistry and music, but also began reading about horticulture, medicine and computer science and studying foreign languages.

Paavo’s Apostles’ goal is for 300 people to sign up for the race, which will begin and end on South Street East, next to Champion, the event’s primary sponsor. Registration is $40, and a post-race reception will be held at the brewery.

There is a registration limit, so runners are encouraged to sign up soon.

Runners can register here and volunteers can sign up to help here.

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Running community remembers Running Man

Left: Courtesy of NBC 29 Right: Staff photo

Members of Charlottesville’s running community have come together to create a tribute to Philip Weber III, the jogger known as “Running Man” who was hit and killed on Ivy Road December 29.

Mark Lorenzoni, owner of the Ragged Mountain Running Shop, says the collection of running shoes represents more than just a sport.

“It represents the number of people that were touched by him,” he says. “There’s hardly any two that are the same.”

The colors of the shoes, he says, represent the rainbow of runners in the community—from fast, to slow, to marathoners, to ultrarunners, to weekend warriors.

After a Sunday morning group run on January 3, Lorenzoni says he and a group of athletes drove by the tribute to hang their own shoes. At that time, only about 20 pairs were strung on the tribute. Now, he says the number has at least tripled.

He says each pair of old shoes also represents the number of miles Running Man ran.

“They’re all worn out,” he says, “and that’s appropriate because each pair represents maybe four or five hundred miles.”

Lorenzoni says most pairs of shoes aren’t actually tied to the structure.

“Most are hanging onto one another, suspended by the weight of the other shoes,” he says. “That’s a sign of community right there.”

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Trail runner offers safety tips after Running Man’s death

Philip Weber III, a.k.a "Running Man." Photo courtesy of NBC 29

Following the December 29 death of 55- year-old Philip Weber III, known as Charlottesville’s “Running Man,” an ultra marathoner and running club board member makes suggestions for safe running.

Weber was struck and killed by a 2001 Isuzu Trooper on Ivy Road around 7am. At the time of the incident, police closed the westbound lane of Ivy Road for several hours. While the investigation is ongoing, the name of the driver has not been released and no charges have been filed.

Ivy Road isn’t an optimal road for joggers, says Charlottesville Area Trail Runners board member Andy Jones-Wilkins. Club members tend to avoid it, he says, adding that trail runners in the club often choose to run Dick Woods Road, which has less traffic.

“Most of our running is on trails but it’s an inevitable fact of modern life that you find yourself on the road from time to time,” he says. He is familiar with Weber, a prominent member of Charlottesville’s running community.

Jones-Wilkins says many runners do, and should, take a lesson from cyclists who wear high-visibility clothes—such as construction worker-esque reflective vests and specially made shoes—even though they’re “kind of silly-looking.” Sportswear companies even make headlamps with an extremely bright bulb in the front and a blinking red light on the back.

Drivers, he says, should always be alert and aware that while most cyclists ride on the same side as vehicular traffic, joggers often run against traffic.

“We, as runners, trail runners, road runners, whatever—we ultimately are responsible for our own safety and that’s how we live our lives,” he says.