30 years after his last race, runner Saul Schachter makes his return

My love of running — particularly on Long Island — began in high school. I was on the baseball team and wasn’t playing much, so I asked the coaches if I could switch to the track team. The coaches agreed to the move.

“Well, we have a meet tomorrow,” said the track coach. “You can be the anchor on our 440 relay team.” I had never practiced with the team and had no running shoes, only an old pair of Keds sneakers. But I agreed.

The next day, I had a 20-second lesson on how to run and receive the baton — and we were off! There were four teams, four runners per team, and by the time I was handed the baton, we were in third place. I didn’t know the rules of running or how to pace myself, I just ran! And I started passing the other runners.

Entering the homestretch, I had one runner to beat — and at the end, I did. First place for our team!

From there, I participated in Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving in Port Washington and Garden City. When I ran with a cold, it always seemed to clear out my sinuses better than any medicine.

The next summer, I ran in Eisenhower Park’s weekly Monday night 10-mile runs. I went on to compete in seven marathons — two on Long Island — and 12 local half-marathons.

Later on, when I was 35, I hurt my back. Badly. Three bulging discs, and my running career apparently was over.

I was initially despondent. What was I going to do for exercise? Biking filled the void a bit, but I missed my running.

Thirty years later, when COVID-19 hit, I decided to jog on our local high school track. It had a nice, cushiony surface. I ran two miles — without pain! I felt like a kid again!

I decided to enter the annual Nicholas Pedone 5k (3.1 miles) run that starts at Glen Cove High School. But I was nervous. Would my back hold up running a longer distance on the street’s hard surface? I decided to give it a try, joining a few hundred other hearty souls.

My pace was slow — I ended up averaging 14 minutes a mile — but I felt fine. However, when I was approaching the three-mile point, and with a daunting hill ahead, I started to weaken. I made it to the top and was tired, but saw around the bend a straightaway to the finish line where a cheering crowd awaited us. I could stagger in, but that would not do.

Somehow, I put on a burst of speed and sprinted. I felt like an Olympic runner. I passed one runner, then two more. I came in, arms raised triumphantly, an announcer called out, “And here’s Saul Schachter from Sea Cliff finishing with a smile!”

I didn’t win my age group. I would have barely won the 80-85-year-old age category. But 30 years after my previous race, it was nice to be back!

Saul Schachter

Sea Cliff