Greg Wright rediscovered a love for running through the annual race

Greg Wright ran the first Bloomsday in 1977 at the urging of his brother, who had been a runner in high school.

Though Wright didn’t consider himself a runner at the time, he’s the one who made it through the race course unscathed on that hot day. His brother landed in the emergency room.

“He’s the runner in the family,” Wright said of his older brother, Jeff. “He was a miler in high school. My dad was a miler. My thing was tennis.”

He and his brother were both planning to be in town on the first Sunday in May 1977 because it was their mother’s birthday. Wright’s brother suggested signing up to run Bloomsday together but got separated.

“There were a lot of people who didn’t finish because of heat exhaustion,” he said.

When he finished, Wright went looking for his brother. Instead, he found his aunt and uncle, who said that his brother had been taken to the emergency room. Wright doubled back and picked up a finisher T-shirt for his brother. He later found out his brother had collapsed near the finish line.

“He got to about 100 yards from the finish,” he said. “He thought he tripped.”

Years later, it became important that Wright had taken the trouble to get his brother a T-shirt. One day when he was organizing his Bloomsday shirts, Wright realized he couldn’t find his shirt from that first race. He mentioned it to his brother in a phone call and his brother promptly sent Wright his shirt so Wright would have a complete collection.

“I always call that delayed karma,” Wright said.

In the early years Wright would train for Bloomsday with his co-workers after work. Several had done every race except for the first one, which they regretted missing.

That helped Wright realize how special his completion streak was, something he started paying more attention to after about 12 years as people started noticing. “I thought, I’d better keep this going.”

These days, with 49 Bloomsdays under his belt, Wright still doesn’t consider himself a runner. There was a time when he was in his 20s and early 30s that he focused on his time each year and was able to finish in under an hour, but was sore and in pain for days afterwards. He realized he was punishing himself for no reason and slowed down to enjoy the experience.

For many years, Wright went to the other extreme and didn’t even train for Bloomsday. “I’d go out in April and go out four, five, six times and call it good,” he said.

Wright, now 69, retired seven years ago. He realized he was entering a new chapter of his life and decided he wanted to take care of his health. He began doing stretches, pushups and sit ups every morning. He started running again.

He also got involved. He began working as a volunteer cross country coach at Salk Middle School near his home, making the effort to run with the students and give them tips. He started teaching tennis to elementary school students through the Tennis Afterschool Zone, a program of the U.S. Tennis Association. He also started officiating basketball games through the Spokane Basketball Association, spending his winters running up and down basketball courts.

“That keeps me active and running,” he said. “I do it because I have the time on my hands.”

In particular, Wright enjoys officiating games in smaller communities like Deer Park, Kettle Falls and Chewelah. He said it’s the sense of community and camaraderie that make those games special.

“I just love the little slice of Americana pie,” he said.

On rare days when he’s not involved in one of those three activities, he has 2-, 3- and 4-mile routes near his home that he jogs. He keeps track of his road miles in a running log.

Now the man who doesn’t consider himself a runner has five pairs of specialized shoes – one for basketball, one for tennis, one for winter walking, one for walking and one for running. He shops for comfortable shoes, but also makes sure to pick ones that look cool. Wright has a reputation as a shoe aficionado and when he works with kids he always makes sure to compliment the one with the coolest pair of shoes.

When he runs Bloomsday, he’s not looking up at the course ahead, he’s looking down. “Every year, I just look at all the shoes,” he said. “They’re all different.”

He once found himself standing at the start line next to a man wearing the exact shoes he was, right down to the color. Wright nudged him and said “Nice shoes.” The man looked down and they shared a laugh.

Wright said he feels blessed to still be going strong, since he knows of former Perennials who have had to quit for health reasons or those who struggle with hip and knee replacements. “My joints, they all work,” he said. “I feel blessed that I’m still doing it.”

Wright is entitled to start each Bloomsday up front with the Perennials, but he usually chooses to hang back and start in the green group.

“Then I don’t have to watch 5,000 people pass me,” he said.

Though he jokes about being passed, Wright’s finishing times have actually improved since he retired and started paying more attention to his health and fitness. His time last year was the best he’s had in decades, but Wright has no plans to push it. “I’m not shooting for under an hour,” he said.

Wright said he plans to continue Bloomsday as long as he’s physically able to.

“I’m not going to give it up after 50.”

Greg Wright, of north Spokane, is a Bloomsday perennial. He claims he’s not a serious runner, so he runs for health benefits. He also referees basketball and teaches tennis to little kids through the USTA, all of which keep him healthy as he approaches his 50th Bloomsday run.