I learned from the WMAC website that Race Director Paul Funch of Groton, Mass., has taken ill with the dread Lyme Disease.

Funch runs (that is to say, makes possible for everyone to run) the original Wapack Trail race and the Groton Town Forest Race. I don't know him, but I appreciate the work that he and other RDs do, so here's best wishes for a full and fast recovery!

Lyme Disease is a serious hazard for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, and I learned recently that the late fall is the second peak time for transmission (along with summer). Most people who catch Lyme get it during the summer from immature, nymph deer ticks, because they are really tiny, and hard to spot, but the adult ticks, which aren't all that much bigger from a human perspective, are very active through November, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation. Personally, I've always stowed the bug spray for the season once the deer flies and mosquitoes buzz off, but perhaps keeping it around for the fall might be wise.