Ahead Of The Pack: Bergen County Teacher's Jog Makes Headlines

MAHWAH, NJ — Mahwah's Thunderbird Run 2020 may have been canceled, but one teacher with a penchant for running is keeping the "#TBirdForever" spirit alive virtually.

Rich Gordon, 49, is an avid runner. He's also a mathematics and STEM teacher at Ramapo Ridge Middle School, where he has worked for 23 years.

Earlier this month, Mahwah Schools Foundation put out a call to its teachers: Instead of celebrating Thunderbird Spirit Week in the classroom, share a video of yourself taking a break in a healthy way.

When Gordon saw the post, he knew exactly what he wanted to share in a video: him running some 13 miles from school to school in Mahwah to encourage healthy habits and show off his school spirit in place of the Thunderbird Run.

The run he took through the community, he told Patch, comes at a convenient time. Gordon is training for his first 50-K run (approximately 31 miles.) He said he his goal is to complete a 50-K before he turns 50-years-old.

"My runs have been getting longer and longer," he said. "I try to figure out fun runs to do that keep me motivated. And this was a good one because I kept on looking forward to the next school to hit, and this just was something different to do."

In the video, Gordon says: "Maybe if I tag enough people, Mahwah alum Chris Wragge will put me on the news." That's exactly what happened.

"I'm a proud Mahwah Thunderbird, and a huge supporter of the Mahwah Thunderbird Run," Wragge said during a broadcast on CBS Monday morning.

Here ya go MAHWAH, NJ! ⁦@_TheMSF_⁩ ⁦@MahwahHS⁩ ⁦@mahwahschools⁩ #tbirds #ThunderbirdRun ⁦@RichGordon1⁩ #jerseystrong ⁦@CBSNewYork⁩ pic.twitter.com/MHiQaKYl6O
— Chris Wragge (@ChrisWragge) April 27, 2020

Gordon said part of the reason he shared the video is to encourage his students and other people in his community to stay healthy and active amid shelter-in-place orders.

"Getting outside every day, for me, is so important," he said. "The runs are my way to keep sane. If everyone does that — just gets out there and enjoys the day a little bit — it helps get through this time a little bit easier. "

Gordon said one unexpected outcome of the video he posted online is that his phone is "blowing up with friends and staff members all saying, 'I saw you on the news.'"

"[I've had] lot of contact with people I haven't seen in a while," he said. "I just checked my email, and I've had some students emailing me and saying, 'So great to see you and hear your voice.' The response has been overwhelming."