• More about Zen Yanni •
[1½ MIN READ]
The Zenster, Zen Yanni (John Van Allen, 1947-2023), was a lifelong competitor. His memorial biography references his running. That one I knew, simply because of his connection to Shawmont Running Club. The one I didn’t know was that he was a triathlete. The competition pix of him as cyclist, runner, and swimmer are inspiring.
Despite what is easy to surmise based on the SRC connection relative to running, the swimming was no afterthought. In high school, he was the captain of the swim team. He held championship records that stood for years.
Being swim team captain was a harbinger of his SRC role, even if he was a pretty shy adolescent. His inviting demeanor became natural as an adult and in the context of athletic expression, hence the establishment of the early running club. He, Water Bottle, Ellenita, and Teddio got to know each other just from seeing each other on the trail. The idea of establishing a more formal group was natural for the bunch. Making the barrier to join as low as possible was equally natural; hence, no membership fee.
The jubilant smile you see in more than one running pic of him was no afterthought either. He absolutely loved running. And he absolutely loved running in community. Others on SRC’s FB group have testified to Zen Yanni’s role in getting them connected to SRC. One was Weezinator. ZY’s role was influential in helping Weezie get to her first marathon. It was also the set up for their marital connection. Community of a different sort.
-CtCloser (Calvinthe) with thanks to Weezinator. “Negative Split or Positive Splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Text by Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-published: Facebook Shawmont Running Club, Shawmont Running Club website, Ruminations by CtCloser. ¶Based on true events. Likenesses used with permission.
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