You will find James Collins at the start line, his soft voice lost amid heavy breathing and cracking joints.
“Hold … hold … hold,” the 73-year-old will offer seconds before the race, a method that he’s perfected over the years.
He may look inconsequential, but the man has the toughest job on Front Street.
He needs to be punctual, like an accountant on deadline. As the race starter for the Harrisburg Mile for the past seven years, Collins has learned that time holds an almost mystical significance.
His job is to start the Mile on time. With 12 different heats, that becomes difficult when the only communication he has between the finish line and start line is his heat sheet, which he checks almost religiously.
As each heat inches closer to its exact time, Collins typically hushes the crowd and ushers them toward the timing board. He looks at his watch, then commences the race at the exact moment the heat is set to begin.
“I line them [the runners] up on the street, and then I do a countdown,” says Collins, a computer programmer for the state Department of Welfare. “I hold them, and then it gets exciting.”
The Harrisburg Mile will host its 32nd annual event on July 17 on Front Street. Held on Wednesday evening, the event typically draws close to 1,500 competitors, with much of that contingent composed of corporate teams and families.
The Mile has become a versatile event over the last several years, with a wide variety of runners making up the participants, said YMCA Race Director Andy Wahila.
At the highest level, there are competitive runners, some with storied collegiate backgrounds and sub-5-minute times, looking to win their age group or field. East Pennsboro graduate Ryan Blood, a former Olympic Marathon qualifier, owns the course record in 2009 with a time of 4:08.
Then there are corporate teams looking to build company relationships through wellness and activity. TE Connectivity and Phoenix Contact have battled for the top position for the past three years.
There are families with children to entertain. And then there are many 20- and 30-somethings who register for the social scene—specifically the post-race party and beer tent—which typically lasts late into the night at Riverfront Park.
“The Wednesday night date fits with the summer season and everything,” Wahila said. “We wanted to stay away from weekends because some families won’t have time. You attract a lot of the after-work runners who are looking for something fun to do.”
Wahila thinks the Mile brings out the best in the city. The YMCA contracts with a company to shut down Front Street—from Maclay to Forster—and then the Harrisburg police ensures safety with patrol officers on city streets.
“They’ve done it so many years,” Wahila said of both the police and the outside contractor. “Both of them do a wonderful job.”
The Mile ends up being a special race for a lot of reasons. For starters, within the midstate, there isn’t a race like it. The mile distance is abstract, since most high schools compete on a metric track. The 1,600-meter distance is run at the PIAA level, which is slightly less than a traditional mile.
Next is location. While many YMCA-run races are conducted on Harrisburg soil and macadam, few operate on Front Street itself, a three-lane road that carries much of the city’s dense traffic flow.
And perhaps most significant is the experience. While the beer tent tailors to the younger professionals in the city, the event also features food vendors and music, filling Riverfront Park with entertainment and promotions.
A local running expert—for years it was Inside Track Manager Henry Klugh, a well-known running coach in the area—typically announces the race from the finish, picking out key runners deep into the event.
And then you have Collins, who volunteers every year. He began his role in 2006 after five years as a runner himself. From 2000 to 2005, he ran the Mile, his best finish coming in 2004, when he posted a 5-minute, 44-second time.
Collins, who was a black belt martial artist for 15 years before he picked up running at the age of 60, decided to volunteer. He belonged to the Harrisburg Road Runners Club, and a fellow member urged him to try it out.
“Well, the only thing I can say about [running] is you either love it or you hate it,” Collins said. “There are a lot of people who don’t like it. They don’t train for it. I’m not one of those people.”
The 32nd annual Millers Mutual Harrisburg Mile will be run on July 17 starting at 6 p.m. For registration and other information, visit www.harrisburgymcaraces.com.
