My Running Story - Chris Meister
Growing up playing soccer, the idea of running for “fun,” seemed crazy. Running was something that I had to do. It was for fitness so that I could be a better soccer player - that was it.
When I was an undergraduate student at Ohio University, a few of my cousins (including Alex Maloney) started to get more into running. We would talk about it often and Alex would tell me about his training plans. Eventually, he convinced me to run a 5K on Thanksgiving morning. I figured my soccer training would be enough for me to run 3.1 miles and if everyone else was doing it, I was in. I do not remember what my time was, but I remember being happy with it and also knowing I could do better. More importantly, I had... fun. I was sold. Since then, I have run more 5Ks and a handful of half marathons.
When that aforementioned group of cousins ran from Springfield High School to Yellow Springs, I was there. I rode my bike and brought water for everyone. The Happy Half was, for all intents and purposes, started that day. Since our first race, I always wanted to be involved. Honoring the legacy of my great-uncle, Mike Maloney, was extremely important to me and I knew the race would be a perfect way to do that. I used to participate as a runner and now I consider myself extremely fortunate to serve as Race Director.
Being involved with this race and in the running community has given me the opportunity to meet amazing people with incredible stories. Stories of inspiration and motivation. These stories only make me want to work harder to make this event a great experience for every single runner.
