Saturday, April 13, 2024
I first met Bob Carlson after being invited by some friends to a social get together at the Kirk Grill one evening. I discovered that this was a weekly event that took place for the group every Thursday after running several miles from the Utica YMCA. One thing led to another, and I eventually joined the group for runs and then weekend road races and other events. What was unusual about these get togethers was the diversity of people that participated. Young and old, many different professions, experienced runners and first-timers and even non-runners; but all united by the common bond of wanting to get some exercise and wanting to spend time together as a group (and of course occasionally winning hardware at the races). Bob Carlson had an uncanny ability to attract all kinds of people into what started as the Utica Y Track Club and eventually turned into the Utica YMCA Roadrunners. He presided over the organization and its signature event, the Falling Leaves Road Race.
At some point, Bob had to relinquish many of his responsibilities as President of the running club in order to devote more time to his full-time job at the Savings Bank of Utica. By this time, I was on the board of the running club and was asked to fill his shoes. Nobody could fill his shoes or do all of things he was doing. While he had a lot of help, he was clearly the most experienced person doing everything from recruiting members to organizing road guards at the races to handing out red jackets annually to people running 1000 or more miles to cheering people on at the races to getting sponsorship for the runs. The entire board had to devote a huge amount of effort to find and train many other people to do all of things Bob was involved in.
I didn't truly appreciate the significance of the Utica YMCA Roadrunners until much later in life, long after I had moved away from Utica. The running club that Bob and his friends at the Y started was (and still is) comprised of a close-knit, diverse group of people who you could depend on when you needed help, who you spent a lot of time with, and who devoted considerable effort and resources to staying fit. They were and still are a family. The relationships that we had and still have are a necessary and vital part of life.
I know Bob was involved in several other activities over the years in addition to running. I can imagine the impact he must have had on all those other things. I am truly grateful for the running club community that Bob Carlson helped nurture in Utica. It's a testament to him that that community still stands strong today.
Sam Mallette
Vienna, Virginia
