I just wrote about the change in season and it’s very much on my mind and last night was a perfect example of what I like.: Perfect for game night.

My wife has been away traveling for two weeks (with a little respite last weekend) and just returned yesterday afternoon. Because she’s been gone so long, it felt much better to sit and play a board game rather than get sucked into a movie. Moreover, Harry picked the perfect game.

When I was a kid, I lived (most of the time) with my grandparents. My youngest aunt, Kim, was only eight years older than me, so she was in the house for many of those years. She was also a wholeheartedly devoted runner who still holds a  records in Delaware for her age group for 10K, 15K, 20K, 10 mile and Half-Marathon. I’m waxing on about her a little because she passed away a couple of years ago following an accident that caused serious brain damage, so there’s no fear of her reading this and getting an inflated ego.

I brought up Kim’s memory because she once got a Marathon board game from Runners, World. It’s a great game in part because of its simplicity. Basically, you set your pace to one of five speeds and then draw cards that indicate how many spaces you can go. Being a marathon, the road is littered with obstacles, thirst and injuries that will limit your pace, causing more damaging impact the faster your pace was set when you hit it.

This game is so old and targeted at such a specific audience that I really wonder how many surviving copies there still are.