Michael Lustig

​About Michael

I was born and raised a nice Jewish boy in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, and went to the University of Michigan. I came to DC to attend grad school at George Washington University, and never left. I’m now an editor at a publishing company focusing, in general, on news about energy policy issues, and I live in the Shirlington area of Arlington.

 

 

​Questions

 

Michael, how did you get into running? I started running in 1996. I had a roommate in graduate school who ran the Marine Corps marathon in 1995. His girlfriend and I followed him around the course, and at the end of it, while he was sitting immobilized on the couch, I thought, “Well, I can do that next year.” I hadn’t been a serious runner before then. And then in 1996, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon. It just seemed like a challenge I could accomplish.



And you became quite a marathoner. How many have you completed over the years? I ended up doing 20. The last one was in 2007, in Chicago, where the race coordinators moved people off the course because of the high temperatures. I was at mile 20 at that point, so I was able to complete the race.



You’ve been with DC Front Runners going on 15 years now. What are some of the differences from when you joined?  When I joined, I was “the young one.” And I’m not anymore. The newsletter was still going out on paper.

 

You’re still young, and I’m taking notes on paper right now! I think where you really see the difference is that people weren’t all as out and open as they are today. Some were still listed in the race results with their first name and last initial.



What’s kept you in Front Runners all these years? I really recommitted in 2003, and doing that was a way to reinvigorate my social circle, which was a little stale at that point. I had my core group of friends, but I felt like it would be fun to meet some new people, and I kind of came back to Front Runners. By that point, I was also a little more confident and comfortable with myself, and I was a little more outgoing, and more able to pro-actively meet people.



These days, you’re been involved in the Ragnar Relays, in which our members are increasingly participating. Can you tell me more about that?  I first did it in 2008 with a non-Front Runner team. I knew a group that didn’t have a full complement. I didn’t feel compelled to run a marathon, and wasn’t sure what athletic goals to have for the year. The race went from Cumberland, Md., back to Washington D.C. As a running experience it was fun. Socially, it was just OK. The next year, some Front Runners were talking about doing one, and were aware that I had talked about it favorably, and I got pulled into that. So we’ve done one here in fall of 2010, and the Florida Keys Ragnar in January of 2011 and 2012.



So you’ve done four Ragnar Relays now. Describe for me what it’s like sleeping in a van over a couple of days, riding in a van, and running in segments.  Well, there’s not a whole lot of sleeping! You run in three segments and go eight to 10 hours between runs. The last segment is definitely the hardest. You pretty much feel like a zombie in the van, you haven’t really had a meal other than peanut butter on bagels. My long shift was at 2:45 in the morning.



Mmm. You’re really selling me on this. What’s the fun part?  It’s a different kind of running challenge, and because of the team aspect you have a built-in cheering squad, a built-in support squad. Of course, it’s also a great excuse to spend four days in Key West afterwards.



You were part of the famous “Fear the Kitty” team. Did you wear the matching pink tutu?  I wore the official shirt. I’m not a tutu kind of guy.



So, Front Runners has been a good experience for you? Absolutely. I joke about having my “Front Runner friends” and my “non-Front Runner friends.” Some of my closest friends are in Front Runners, the people I talk to in some cases almost daily. I think it creates an automatic community of people with two common interests, and I don’t know if it’s like that in other cities.

 

Maybe the Washington chapter really is a special one. I don’t know, but I do know when you show up, you’re able to talk about running stuff and about gay stuff, and between those two topics, you’re bound to find someone you can be great friends with.

 

 

Interview by Stephen Sawchuk, Design by Micah Norgard

March 2012