Meet Rudy

Stranger #9

We met in California, a chance meeting, since I hadn't planned on looking for "strangers" during our travels. But here was someone who amazed us as we stood outside my aunts house while he ran up the massive hill that was her street.  

We had seen him earlier when we were driving home, amongst the many other active people throughout the San Francisco area.  Running  up and down some of these roads that would be tough enough to walk up!  We struck up a conversation about just that, running up these hills.

He was eager to chat, taking a break from the massive hill, to share with us a little about himself and his running.  See, Rudy has been a runner since he was 23 years old.  He told us the day he left college, he looked back at his school buddies who were out of shape and said I am going to take control of my life, of my body and he began running.  He's never looked back... and at age 74 he still runs 8 miles a day and LOVES it.  Including these giant hills of San Francisco!

Rudy was an inspiration in so many ways, on top of running up these hills, you just have to see these hills he was running up with ease.... He also informed us of his  recent heart attack in November, and said running saved his life.  As fit as he had been all his life, with his resting heart rate so low, he was told by the doctors it saved him. After surgery and when he was ready, the doctor said get back out there and continue running, and so he did!

We me up with Rudy again the next morning when Chelsea and I walked up the giant hill of my aunts street to a track where we could get a run in.  At that time he was walking his daughters dogs, and we got to chat some more.  He was thrilled about me taking his picture, and I told him what a wonderful impression he had left on my daughter and I.

He just lived around the corner, up another couple hills from my aunt ...and funny thing, she had never met him.