Steve Vigus has a race T-shirt collection beyond even most other Bloomsday Perennials’

Steve Vigus was a runner in high school, so when the brand new Bloomsday run kicked off in 1977, he signed up. Now 82, he plans to return for his 50th consecutive Bloomsday race in May .

Vigus was so dedicated to running that he even kept it up after he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. He worked a security position in an office, so was able to keep his running shoes active.

“They had lots of roads and landing fields,” he said. “I could go out there and run.”

He kept his running when he got out of the service.

“I was already doing some running with a couple other guys and doing some informally organized runs,” he said.

Race founder Don Kardong was a legend in running circles, and Vigus eagerly signed up for Bloomsday. The first year, the race started at 1:30 p.m., and Vigus remembers it as a particularly hot day for May.

“That was the first time I’d ever had to walk, because it was so hot,” he said. “I always ran.”

The year after that, the race start time was changed to noon. Heat was an issue again in 1980, so the start time was changed to 9 a.m. in 1981. The start time was one of many changes and adaptations over the years to make sure the run went smoothly as it grew.

Vigus worked in an insurance underwriting department, traveling to conduct audits at first in the Northwest and then as far away as Pennsylvania. He said he never had an issue making sure he made it back in time for each Bloomsday run. Each trip he took, he packed his running shoes.

His relationship with Bloomsday was casual for the first 10 years.

“I don’t think I paid much attention to it other than collecting the T-shirts,” he said.

But for the race’s 10th anniversary, organizers recognized for the first time the group they initially called the “Bloomsday Old Timers.” Now called Bloomsday Perennials, they are the people who have participated in Bloomsday every year.

As time went on, Vigus’ family got involved. Some years, he would run with his extended family, including his wife, siblings, children and father. Vigus said his dad only did the race a couple times.

“He admitted it was a pretty tough task if you didn’t train for it,” he said.

His T-shirt collection has grown significantly over the years, particularly the years when he would help out with the wheelchair practice the day before Bloomsday.

“Each race, I would get three T-shirts: the finisher shirt, the perennial shirt and a race crew shirt,” he said.

Though he has collected all the shirts, he wasn’t as good about collecting photographs of the memories.

“We weren’t as big on pictures, as it turns out,” he said.

As his children grew up, his son and his family would travel back for Bloomsday. By that point, Vigus wasn’t focused on speed. He much preferred to slow down and run with his family.

“It was much better to enjoy their company,” he said.

He hurt his knee in December 2024 and participated in the 2025 race with a walking stick, as he was still unsteady. Vigus said a member of his family stayed by his side the entire race, just in case he needed to be steadied.

“It was really sweet,” he said. “I wasn’t doing any running. I was walking as fast as I could. That was one of the best Bloomsdays.”

Though in his early years Vigus tried for speed and once finished in around 47 minutes, he said he likes being able to chat with people along the race course.

“It’s always been fun,” he said.

One of his favorite experiences was in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The race was postponed, then turned into a virtual event in the fall. But Vigus was unable to let go of the traditional experience of running the race on the first Sunday in May.

On the Sunday when the race should have been run, he decided to run it himself, on the official Bloomsday course. He would not be alone, although downtown appeared to be deserted at first.

“As I went on the course, there were more and more people out running,” he said.

When he came to the top of Doomsday Hill, he found a husband and wife sitting at a table, offering water to the runners.

“I stopped and chatted with him and got a drink of water,” he said.

When Vigus crossed the Monroe Street Bridge near the finish line, he found a woman handing out T-shirts. The shirt, which did not include the Bloomsday name, identified Vigus as an “unrecognized runner, totally unofficial.”

Vigus hasn’t made any special plans for the 50th running of the race yet, beyond the fact that he’ll be joined by some family members. He said he never considered the fact that he might make it to the 50th race, but said he wants to participate as long as he can.

“It was a little touch and go last year,” he said.