INPERSON
Baldwin ’ s Rich Wright is
Going the Distance
In less than one year , Rich Wright will celebrate 10,000 consecutive days of running .
BY W . B . FRESA
Photo Credits : Richard Wright and Baldwin High School
In 1990 , Rich Wright set a goal without end — to run at least one mile or more every day without fail .
He has run in bad weather , on cruise ships , and even before a surgery just to make sure he keeps his streak alive . In fact , he holds the 75th and 77th longest running streaks in the United States and internationally , respectively , as registered by the United States Running Streak Association .
“ I know it ’ s crazy ,” says Wright . “ But it becomes a bit of an obsession ... luckily a healthy one .”
He remembers loving to run from an early age . “ Growing up in Dormont , I ran everywhere just to get to where I needed to be . Once I entered high school , I joined the track team and was doing pretty well until I was injured in a car accident in the Armstrong Tunnels . Luckily , I recovered but wasn ’ t able to do much running . It wasn ’ t until the early ’ 80s when my oldest son , Rick , was about 12 , that I decided to get back into shape . I weighed 256 pounds , the most I ’ d ever weighed in my life , and made the decision to give running another try .”
Wright and his son trained together and ran the Pittsburgh Marathon in 1985 , where his son became the youngest finisher that year . However , in 1986 , Wright , his wife Kathy , and their sons were coming home from a family trip when their vehicle was struck by another car .
“ That was a difficult recovery for both of us and , once again , I was unable to run due to my ongoing rehabilitation ,” he notes . “ But Kathy and I recuperated , and we ’ re still thankful today for our good health .”
During Wright ’ s recovery at the tail end of 1986 and into 1987 , he began volunteering at Baldwin High School as the cross-country track coach . He started with the 400- and 800-meter runners and assembled the 4 x 4 teams too .
“ To say I ’ ve done some crazy things to keep my streak going is putting it mildly .”
“ It was great to work with the kids to help them become better runners ,” he says . “ I set easy goals for them to achieve and encouraged them to keep working hard no matter the outcome that day .”
In 1992 , Wright became a permanent member of the track and field coaching staff at Baldwin , where he has seen many of the athletes become terrific runners and some move on to college with scholarships to help pay for their education .
“ It ’ s one of the best accomplishments for me — to see kids I ’ ve helped train excel and be able to use what they ’ ve learned here and apply it beyond the walls of high school athletics . It really warms my heart and I can honestly say I ’ ve enjoyed every minute of it .”
The past 30 years of coaching has also propelled his own running streak .
“ To say I ’ ve done some crazy things to keep my streak going is putting it mildly . Besides running in bad weather , I ’ ve also run before a surgery , run on a cruise ship where I had to adjust my Garmin to account for the ship moving in nautical miles , and even delayed a vacation with my wife for 45 minutes when I realized I forgot to run . There was also the time I drove to my dad ’ s house and , when I arrived , somehow fell asleep in my car . When I woke up it was 11:55 p . m . I jumped out of the car and hurriedly ran a mile .”
Wright ’ s running has definitely become part of his daily routine , but he has a second streak he ’ s equally proud of — he ’ s attended Mass once a week for the past 25 years .
“ No matter where I am or what I ’ m doing , I attend Mass ,” he says . “ If my wife and I are going on vacation , especially a cruise where we may not be docking , I make sure there is a priest on board . It ’ s something I ’ m just as passionate about as running .”
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