Some running readers whose racing days extend back into the 1980’s are grinning as they think about the title.

If you can say, “I was there that day,” you’re smiling and you can tell your own story. This narrative’s intended for those who have no idea what the title means including those who love to proclaim, “I don’t see how running can be enjoyable because I never saw a runner smiling.”

If you had been in Toomsboro on April 9, 1988 you would have seen runners smiling and laughing out loud after they got through swearing and venting their frustrations.

Jim Walker was literally the biggest runner in Georgia. Jim stood six feet eight inches tall and weighed 280 pounds or more.

Johnny King told me Jim played basketball at Georgia Teachers College. Not only was Jim a remarkable runner considering the gravitational pull his exceptionally large body exerted on the earth, he was also a dedicated race director.

When I think of Jim Walker the runner, I’m reminded of Jim Croce’s song, “Big Jim.” Croce describes big Jim Walker of 42nd street and says: “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape…You don’t spit into the wind…You don’t pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger…And you don’t mess around with Jim.”

Croce’s big Jim was what might be described in the popular vernacular as a “real bad dude” while big Jim the runner in no way resembled Croce’s character except in size and name. The cliché “gentle giant” is the best phrase I can think of to describe big Jim the runner.

Toomsboro is a pleasant rural village of 619 people in Wilkinson County. It is best known for its opera house that once hosted country music singing although some might put in a counter claim that Director Jim Walker’s first race is the community’s most memorable feature.

Nobody ever worked harder to promote a road race than did Jim Walker. He started going to other races, passing out flyers, and telling everyone who would listen about his race fully a year before the event.

A Special Education Teacher with an affinity for helping children, Jim wanted his Mile Fun Run, as well as his Five and Ten K races to be memorable events. His trophies were first rate. His awards ceremonies may not have been the longest in the history of Georgia road racing but they were close.

I believe every child who ran his first Fun Run received a trophy. In addition Jim took pains to give a report on the background and accomplishments of every child that he knew in the Fun Run. The runners who completed either of the longer races wondered if Jim would be able to complete the first awards ceremony before midnight.

I knew Jim because of his schoolwork and I saw him at races nearly every week. Consequently we developed a friendship. He called numerous times before his first race primarily because he wanted everything to be just right.

Jim searched for ideas about how he could make his race better. He was not a resident of Toomsboro and I’m not sure how he picked Toomsboro for his race. I believe the race was designed to enhance the town’s spring festival. One thing Jim could not control was the limited number of volunteers available to assist with a race in the small community but he enthusiastically sought helpers from Dublin and Milledgeville as well as other area towns.