|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
Close, but no shave for Dean Apple’s mustache
3:48 p.m., Oct. 20, 2006--Tom Apple, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, successfully defended his signature mustache for the second straight year by beating five of eight UD ROTC cadets in the Army 10-Miler held Sunday, Oct. 8, in Washington, D.C. In defending his mustache, Apple placed 25th in the 50-54 age bracket, and 862nd among the 15,589 runners who finished the course that begins and ends at the Pentagon. “I started out faster than any of the cadets from UD, and as we neared the 10th mile, the third UD runner passed me,” Apple said. “This is a great bunch of kids, and they gave it their best. They really tried hard.” The “mustache challenge” began last year, when, on an early morning run, Apple came upon a group of ROTC cadets training for the Army 10-Miler. Apple said he told them that if he did not outrun at least half of the runners who planned to compete, he would submit to a military-style haircut, which meant that the mustache would have to go. Although he finished ahead of four cadets in the 2005 Army 10-Miler, there was a bit of controversy because the length and course of the race had been changed and the original number of UD ROTC cadets entering the race had dropped from 10 to eight runners. “This year, the rules of engagement were clearly defined,” Apple said. “We agreed that I had to beat half of the eight runners. I ended beating five of them. I feel vindicated.” A runner since grad school in 1978, Apple said that he plans to issue the same challenge to the UD ROTC cadets for next year's race. Apple, who likes to run as often as a busy schedule permits, said he usually manages to run five miles on weekdays, with a longer run on the weekend. “Normally, I have two hard runs, with hills and track workout, and then a long run,” Apple said. “Running is so much a part of my identity. I just can't imagine not running.” Article by Jerry Rhodes |
|
|
