Cedric on His Way of Running by Danny Harris
06 April 2010 8:59 AM | By Prince Of Petworth in People's District
Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.
“I am a young 57. I was born in D.C. General Hospital in 1952. My family history goes way back in D.C. I was raised in Georgetown and came through the Catholic schools as a three sport athlete. I played basketball, baseball and football. After high school, I got a football scholarship to play defensive back at the Community College of Baltimore. While I was there, I was recruited to play for the University of Pittsburgh. At the time, my high school sweetheart was having one of my first babies, so I decided not to go. I dream about that missed opportunity all of the time. Tony Dorsett was there at the time and I would have won a national championship. It would have changed my whole life had I made that move. I am not mad though because I am still happy with what I have accomplished. I’ve been married for 30 years. I have six kids and four grand kids. I am blessed by my family. Everybody has a destiny and I think that this was my destiny.
“When I didn’t go to the University of Pittsburgh, I came back to D.C. to be a bus driver. Ever since I was younger, I had always wanted to drive a bus. I used to see the bus drivers looking all cool and talking to the ladies and wanted to be just like them. Four months later, I was driving a bus for the southeast division of Metro. I was always good at my job because I am a people person and an excellent driver. I tell you, my driving is smooth. I have driven every route in the city. I did 25 years for Metro and now I have done 12 years driving the mobile lounges at Dulles Airport. Continues after the jump.
“A friend at Metro got me into running. Before, I was all about playing sports: tennis, basketball, and touch football. I started running with him in 1975 and said, ‘This ain’t so bad.’ Since then, running has changed my life. Because I knew all the bus drivers, I would race the buses from my place on H Street Northeast to the White House. I was crushing them. Running forward, I can beat anyone. In 1984, I said, ‘Why not start running backwards?’ I started doing the spinning thing while I run to work on my endurance. I wanted to make my body stronger. And I am blessed with incredible peripheral vision, so I always know what is around me. When I am on a run, you will always see me moving. I will run in place or spin around the intersections or in the middle of traffic to keep from stopping.
“A lot of people don’t know me, but they recognize me because of how I run. See, I am very vocal. I listen to whatever is rocking on the radio and will yell out, “HOOT! HOOT!” to my bus driver friends and the cabbies. Some people have even stopped me and told that I am an inspiration to them. Because of me, some people started exercising. I tell you, I really feel blessed.
“When I first started running, my wife used to say, ‘Why you gotta run all the time!?’ Now, if I don’t run, she thinks something is wrong with me. Just like waking up in the morning and washing my face, running is a part of my life. The only reason that I will ever stop is because God wants me to. Until then, I will keep running the same route every other day. I go straight down H Street, past the White House to 20th Street and come back the same way.”
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06 April 2010 9:06 AM | IntangibleArts Said:
Seen this guy a thousand times. Local legend. This Peoples District thing is a hep feature.
06 April 2010 9:26 AM | Carragher Leg Sweep Said:
Wow. I am definitely smiling in my chair right now. I have seen this guy a million times. I remember a blog post a while back about someone talking about calling 9-1-1 about this guy. All of the commenters talked about how he must be on drugs, etc, etc. Just goes to show that you never know the full story of the people who walk (or jog in circles) around our fair city. Great feature.
06 April 2010 9:29 AM | JYW Said:
“I am blessed with incredible peripheral vision”
06 April 2010 9:53 AM | cranky pants Said:
Keep on running! this guy is an inspiration
06 April 2010 10:08 AM | PetworthRes Said:
Love it!! Fave line: “I used to see the bus drivers looking all cool and talking to the ladies and wanted to be just like them.”
06 April 2010 10:14 AM | ontarioroader Said:
Yeah, I was told by a 911 call taker/dispatcher that this guy is responsible for more 911 calls than any other thing in this city. What a f’ing waste of time. Dude doesn’t cause a real safety problem by doing his thing, but he sure does screw up traffic and distract a lot of tourists and others driving around downtown.
06 April 2010 10:23 AM | briefly Said:
He runs by my office everyday! Go ahead and criticize him ontario, his forearms are probably bigger than your thigh muscles. The dude is IN SHAPE! Its great to see him freak out the stuffed shirts and idiot tourists, he’s totally harmless yet in button down Washingtonia he really causes some worry.
06 April 2010 10:48 AM | Sleepy Said:
And to think, if he had just worn a condom he could have been an NFL star.
06 April 2010 11:42 AM | andy(2) Said:
How many NFL stars are there? How many spinning joggers are there?
Plus an NFL career is short and fleeting a family is forever and he seems to view that as his #1 accomplishment.
06 April 2010 12:02 PM | neener Said:
yes, but I judge someone by the colleges their kids get into, that’s the neighborhood I grew up in. We all have a way to gauge success and that’s mine.
06 April 2010 12:16 PM | Donnie Said:
Fine. If we’re judging, then judging by the inanity of your usual comments on here, you must have gone to a community college.
06 April 2010 3:57 PM | Sleepy Said:
Don’t hate on community colleges. Besdies, if you judge someone by where their kids go to college, what you’re really judging is the parents ability to have existed. After all, it seems as though ANYONE can get into Harvard or Yale as long as a relative somewhere along the line went there. Or wrote a check.
06 April 2010 11:56 AM | jcm Said:
He’s awesome. He’s 57 years old and in better shape than I’ve ever been. Good for him.
06 April 2010 12:20 PM | MK Said:
So that’s who this guy is. Now I can scream his name when he comes twirling by.
06 April 2010 12:34 PM | ro Said:
he lives a couple blocks from me and jumps rope in the middle of his block around 5:30 a.m. i see him when im out walking my dog. he’s a strange bird.
06 April 2010 12:40 PM | mappo Said:
What’s a mobile lounge? Like a bar on a bus or something?
06 April 2010 12:44 PM | elizqueenmama Said:
never flown out of Dulles? They are the strange bus-like people movers that you take to get out to the terminals. . .
06 April 2010 2:22 PM | cavexin Said:
this post is awesome. just because it sheds “some” light on a dude that is totally memorable and definitely a downtown dc landmark. i did think he had some mental health issues going on because he does stand in the middle of traffic! cant say i dont understand the reason folks call 911 on him.
06 April 2010 6:20 PM | Chris Said:
Wonder if anyone will think this guy is so awesome when he causes an accident…I’ve seen one close call with a car swerving and almost hitting a pedestrian. What an idiot.
06 April 2010 6:37 PM | Dittle Said:
Well I am loving this guy. He is different and that is cool!
06 April 2010 9:12 PM | Captain Taint Said:
This guy is nothing more than an a public nuisance. A distraction to drivers and someone who flaunts the law. No need to worry. Because as the old saying goes, if you live by the sword…