Quirky column salutes Charles Allie a year after IAAF honors
My favorite image of Charles. Too fast to shoot.
So here’s the column. Too much street jargon for my puny cracker brain:Â
Special Overtime Report: Allie Bumaye…Allie Bumaye…Allie Bumaye!!!
:10—Charles “Buddy” Allie is now on the Mount Rushmore of the Masters Track and Field Competition. He was recently recognized and honored as the Masters Division World Male Athlete of the Year…Say What?
:09—If that “isn’t” good enough. He received the award in Barcelona, Spain, alongside Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet. For you North Side folks that’s a really big deal, try to keep up.
:08—Allow me to remind you that he achieved this greatness by winning all those meter races. You know, the 400 meters…the 200 meters…the 100 meters, and all the other meters a 65-year-old man can win.
:07—I would name all the other awards he received, but I can’t because I lost the paper he gave me (my bad!) and because I gave you the story a few months ago…If-you-were-paying-attention. Work with me here people!
:06—But here’s the real deal. Just when you thought “Buddy” couldn’t give another party like the last one he gave. “Somebody Told You Wrong!” Last week, on the North Side, he laid it out again. It-was-the-par-tay-of-the-year! Even without the motorcycle entrance.
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:05—Over 300 people turned out to celebrate this champion. Wait, correction…275 people came for him and 25 people slipped in for the free food and booze. I am just saying.:04—Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion Kevin “Freight Train” Parker presented the award and yours truly MC’ed the event…Please y’all know.
:03—If that wasn’t enough, Sugar Ray LeoÂnard’s brother and his wife were there. Roger “The Dodger” Leonard spoke about getting young Ray started on the road to immortality. Roger Leonard is a motivational speaker and has authored the book, “In The Shadow of a Champion: Pathway to Sobriety.” Great guy, really great guy. And he can dance too.
:02—Oh and there’s this…His wife is fine! I’m Just Sayin’! Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said it here. Oh well, I ain’t scared. It’s not like he’s Sugar Ray. Oops, did it again, huh?!?
:01—House of Soul was there, that’s all you need to know about the good time we had.
:00—All in all, here’s to a truly great guy who deserves all he got. Run Buddy, run!!!
GAME OVER
8 Responses
Yes, Charles “Buddy” Allie is worth celebrating. Three things I will note about Charles:
1. He runs a lot of races and wins almost all of them. Even if he is going for an American or world record, he doesn’t hesitate to “warm up” by winning a race earlier on the schedule.
2. He competes in a lot of meets, and thus you get to see him at a great many different venues. Wherever he goes, he strengthens the meet.
3. He’s not a great deal slower than a mid-level high school sprinter, even though he’s in M65.
4. He doesn’t tell other people that he’s better than they are.
OK, that was four. Oh, well. I’ve announced Charles in perhaps 350 races, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them.
Charles is a great great athlete and a good down to earth person. Glad to know you Charles.
Congratulations again Charlie….Your achievements in Masters Track are phenomenal.You are the ultimate Elite, Humble Athlete we all strive to be. Good on ya mate.
Charles: Always well deserved !!! Greatest personality
I really do not know Charles, however I have seen his back from a great distance in a few races. Quite an athlete.
Charles is a super athlete and is super kind off the track. He and his wife Jackie are just the BEST!
(But don’t let his warm smile trick you into doing a workout with him!!)
I have had the privilege of being Charles’ teammate on Houston Elite for ten years now. I have seen up close and personal how great a runner he is, and he is just as great a person. He is always humble and warm, and if you did not know him you would not guess that he is one of the greatest and most dominant runners in the world. The numbers tell the tale- look, for example, at the results from Porto Alegre in 2013. In the finals of the M65 400 meters world championship, Charles beat the second fastest runner by 7.85 seconds. He would never tell you that because he never brags, but I am so proud to be his teammate that I will not hesitate. I saw the race, you see the data, it’s official- Charles is off-the charts in his greatness.
Nice photo of Charles with others at his party:
http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2014/10/22/buddy-allie-in-a-masters-class-all-by-himself/
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