The Return of the Richter Family Run

By Paul Richter

After a year’s hiatus, the Richter Family run took place at the beginning of the month. It started in 1977 as a bet between my brother John and me as to who could run the fastest. Dad and little brother Roy Thomas joined in the race. The next year, Dad called me to set up the race again. More family members joined in until it morphed into a yearly family event centered on celebrating Dad’s birthday.

But just a few weeks after the 2023 run, which celebrated Dad’s 99th birthday, Roy Thomas passed away. The tragedy derailed our lives. Could we ever celebrate and enjoy life again?

So in 2024, Dad didn’t call me to set up the race. We celebrated his 100th birthday with a quiet family celebration. But grief invites us to remember, not to forget.

In early June, Dad experienced several falls, resulting in him being hospitalized. Tests revealed that his blood pressure would drop drastically when he stood up, causing him to black out. Doctors traced the cause to a medication he had been taking, with the side effects of causing “a sudden drop in your blood pressure when changing positions, such as standing up from sitting or lying down.” (Perhaps a column for Dr. Galvin — medications that cause seniors to fall.)

With his falling episodes, we were pressuring Dad to use a walker or at least a cane. But Dad was having none of it. In fact, one fall happened after he went back to his chair to get the cane so my sister wouldn’t yell at him.

With his blood pressure stabilized, he was released from the hospital, and a few days later, Dad told me he was walking on Ocean Promenade. This is in Breezy Point, where he lives with my sister, and there are benches placed along the promenade. He proudly told me he had made it to a few benches. I knew it was pointless to ask if he was accompanied by someone or if he was at least using the walker or cane. He told me his goal was to make it to Roy Thomas and Maryanne’s house (which is on Arcadia Walk, about a quarter mile from his house). One afternoon, Maryanne and her daughter Rachael arrived at their house to find Dad sitting on their porch. I guess this is the drive and determination that got him to 100 years old.

As Dad’s 101st celebration approached, I wasn’t even thinking about reviving the Family Run.  But then one evening, Dad called me to tell me he had made it further down Ocean Promenade to Fulton Walk. “Now what about the Family Run?” he asked.

I asked Maryanne, and she said, “God bless him. I think we should do it.” My brother Peter said, “Give the guy what he wants.” So the invitations went out. We would combine it with his 101st birthday and celebrate it at Maryanne’s house. Rachael designed and printed shirts celebrating the birthday and 48 years of the run. It turned out to be a great day celebrating Dad’s birthday, but also the family’s resilience.