The Galloping Geezers are a group of five Louisville-area senior men interested in improving and maintaining their health through running. We met through frequently seeing each other at the various Saturday morning races, like the ones put on by River City Races. We began running together after talking about it after a Polar Bear Grand Prix run in December of 2018.
Generally, we meet and run at Pope Lick Park on Saturday mornings, unless there is a race that morning or a member has another commitment. Most of the time we run a 5 mile “Post Run.” The “Post Run” is a 2.5 mile out-and-back route with a turnaround at a bridge post. This route was frequently run by our member, Ben King. Running as a group is enjoyable, motivates us, and makes us accountable to our group and ourselves.
We push each other during the group training runs, but we do not denigrate a member for having to or wanting to run a slower pace. As a group, we all run within a similar pace range and tend to like cooler weather. We are a hearty bunch. We ran one Saturday morning when the temperature was 8 degrees Fahrenheit and as long as there isn't lightning, we're running! During Covid when we could not run together, a few of us met a couple times in the Pope Lick Park parking lot. We sat several feet away from each other, but it was nice to catch up. We tease each other, joke, laugh, and catch up on family news while on our group runs, which makes the time go quick.
While all of us are competitive to some degree and enjoy winning age group awards, we encourage each other and exchange training information to make us better runners. We have entered races as a team to see how we stack up against the younger competition or just as a social experience. Surprisingly, we have finished in the top three in several of the races we entered as a team. Often we talk to other senior runners after a race. It’s important to congratulate them for completing the race and encouraging them to continue the running journey. River City Races encourages this running camaraderie, which is why our team enjoys and participates in its races.
The Polar Bear Grand Prix is becoming a tradition for all the Galloping Geezers. The most important belief that we all share is to keep moving for as long as we can at our own pace. Now, we would like to briefly introduce each of our Galloping Geezer Team.
Richard Goranflo
At the age of 75, I am the oldest team member. I retired 5 years ago after 44 great years of practicing veterinary medicine in Louisville. I began running 10 years ago thanks to the encouragement of some very enthusiastic animal owners that kept expounding the virtues of running. I was also inspired by the story of Dr. Ed Morgan, a local icon of running, that started running in his mid-sixties. My first race was the 2012 Snowman Shuffle and I have been racing ever since. There have been so many terrific races and venues, but the Kentucky Derby Mini of 2015 with the constant rain drizzle and the Run the Bluegrass races have been my favorites. The Geezers are a great group to run with and remember, there’s nothing like the excitement and camaraderie on a brisk morning at the starting line. Hope to see you there.
David Keely
I am the only member of the group who is not retired - working as a chemist for a large materials company. My job takes me all over the country so it's nice to get back to Louisville and run each weekend with the guys! I am a native of West Virginia but have been living in Louisville since 2005 and consider it home. Running keeps me healthy and allows me to have a regular social outlet - I have found the running community in Louisville to be unbelievably supportive and that has what has kept me running and racing since I began running again in 2014 after an almost 30 year hiatus. I like the shorter distances best but try to run at least one half marathon every year to help keep me motivated in my training.
Ben King
I retired in 2017 after working exactly 40 years to the day at the U of L library. I am a south end boy at heart having gone to Iroquois High School, but have called Jeffersontown home since 1973. I started running in the organized races for the first time in May of 2012. For my practice runs I run mostly at Pope Lick Park, and Skyview Park. My favorite race distances are 10k and under. I am a crossword puzzle fiend, and an avid reader. When the idea came up to form a team several names were bantered about. Davd Keely suggested "Galloping Geezers". I remember putting my thumb up to indicate I thought that was a great name. The Galloping Geezers are a fun and motivating group.
John Reesor
I did some high school running at Trinity but didn’t run much after that until, at age 29, I decided to run my first road race - the 1979 River Banks 10K. At the start in Louisville I was wondering what to expect and at the finish in New Albany I was hooked on road racing. In 1980 I ran my first of 21 Mini Marathons (so far). I’ve since run many races from 3K to 26.2 miles. I especially like RCR races because they are held year-round. I’ve run the Polar Bear races since 2012 when I outran my sister Karen Carter by 13 seconds in the 5K. Within weeks she outran me by 5 seconds in the Triple Crown 5K. She’s 15 years my junior but like a twin as a runner. My favorite RCR race is the Doubler 15K, in which Karen last outran me by 51 seconds. In addition to being fun, running with the Geezers has helped me maintain my age-adjusted race times.
Dave Sedlak
I am a retired Systems Engineering Manager, who worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. I am a Baltimore, Maryland native but now call Prospect, Kentucky, home. I started running again at the age of 58 after a 30-year hiatus. I enjoy running in my neighborhood, as well as the many running routes found in the Louisville area. I especially enjoy the Parklands and running over the Big Four Bridge to the Indiana Ohio River Greenway. My favorite race distance is anything 10 miles or under. When I am not running, I volunteer at the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve and research my family history. The Galloping Geezers have enabled me to become a better runner and more knowledgeable of Louisville.