We found the running, waving man

QUESTION: We live in the north part of Black Forest. Several times a week as we drive up Highway 83 near the new interchange at Shoup we see a man out running. He waves at every single car that goes past. No matter how tired he looks his hand goes up for everyone. We’ve come to love waving at him and would like to know:  Who is this guy?    He just seems like such a neat guy and we wondered what his story is.
- Dave and Erin Ulman
SO WE ASKED: Running, waving man, would you let us know who you are? Or, if there are readers who are familiar with him we would like to hear from you.

AND HE ANSWERED: We heard from the folks in Black Forest and from the running, waving man and now we know who he is: Larry Cook.

“I’ve been running along Highway 83 and Shoup Road for a number of years and it has been my habit to wave at oncoming traffic. I was born and raised in the deep South and learned at an early age to speak to every one I passed or if they were driving by, to wave at them. Apparently this takes many people by surprise (hopefully pleasantly) for I receive many smiles and waves in return. This is uplifting to me for if by waving I can brighten someone’s day, even if only for a moment, then I feel good in turn.
“I’ve lived in the Black Forest for almost 22 years and have been running out there for about 15 since I retired from the Air Force. I try to run 5-6 times a week, about 7-8 miles per day. During daylight-saving time I run from my home to Shoup, then on to Highway 83, and back. During standard time, however, it gets dark while I’m running (weekdays) so I run within my subdivision (Falcon Forest) because there is much less traffic. Running along Shoup after dark would be an invitation to becoming someone’s hood ornament.
“I haven’t run competitively in 16-17 years and, in fact, I’m fond of saying that now I run so slowly that I time my miles with a calendar. I also say that I’m so slow that I’m regularly rear-ended by glaciers"