The last time I saw my electrician, John, he had just come off a fast, but aching, performance at the Turkey Trot.

At 47 years old with back surgery on the horizon, John knew that the window for his triathlon dream — a full Ironman Triathlon, to be exact — was closing fast. Even installing my light fixtures, I could see, was taking a physical toll on John.

But it’s amazing how much can change in a year: For John, and my furnace heater, which went out in the cold dead of the night last week.

I should have called John first for my furnace because the furnace guy diagnosed the problem as a fried circuit board, and I suddenly had a looming $500 labor bill waiting for me once the part shipped.

So after a weekend of shivering, I called on John to clean up the mess. At first he was stumped, just like the previous technician, but after a few moments of tinkering John was in a different room entirely, cracking open a closed-off thermostat cover. He tightened a few loose ends, and just like that, the furnace was running again. It was satisfying to watch a master of his craft solve a complex problem.

But if I’m being honest, that wasn’t the most impressive thing I saw from John. That’s because he now looks like a race contender.

As it turns out, John’s back surgery never happened. He instead found a dietitian, identified and addressed a food allergy, and in turn drastically reduced the inflammation in his back.

John took it from there, making other changes like giving up sugar, and has built himself up into something he can be proud of. He is still undecided on his triathlon plans, but knows that his dreams are now within the realm of possibility.

It just shows how one lifestyle change — in John’s case a dietary shift — can lead to a life-changing breakthrough.

And when you’re the best version of yourself, like I believe John to currently be, you can do other amazing things, like saving Christmas for a freezing family.

Thank you, John, and I can’t wait to see what race you do next.

1 STEP BACK, 3 STEPS FORWARD

Joe Marks never ran competitively in high school or college, but you’d be forgiven if you thought he did.

The 39-year-old self-taught Carlisle runner has been in a nice running groove of late, posting Top 10 finishes in back-to-back weeks.

An active member of the Frederick Steeplechasers in Maryland, Marks made the trip south to compete in the YMCA Santa Run 5K, an event that saw him place second in a field of 349 with a time of 18:34.

Marks carried that momentum with him into Harrisburg the following week for the Santa Shuffle 5K. Competing in a field of 593 runners, almost all of them dressed as Santa Claus, Marks placed seventh in 18:45. He wasn’t the only standout in Harrisburg: Top 10 finishes were also posted by New Cumberland’s Matthew Wagoner (second in 17:14), Mechanicsburg’s Everett Byer (third in 17:35) and Alex Huertas (10th in 19:28), and Boiling Springs’ Jason Rimmer (eighth in 19:04).

Camp Hill’s Allison Lawruk (21:40) was the third female at the Santa Shuffle, while other top locals from the race include Mechanicsburg’s Flynn Fuller (19:33) and Ryan Hill (20:53), Camp Hill’s Garrett Murphy (19:45) and Owen Burge (21:18), New Cumberland’s Zachary Fish (21:54), Carlisle’s Meredith Henry (22:14), and Enola’s Matt Steighner (22:43).

Another unique holiday racing experience came in the form of the Dashing Through the Lights 5K, a night race that saw runners compete under the glow of a lights display at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster. Marjorie Lebo, of New Cumberland, was the top Sentinel-area runner, as she crossed the finish line in 25:50 to win the 60-99 AG. Camp Hill’s Joel Warner also completed the race in 26:06.

The York County Road Runners Club Winter Series resumed with the Dallastown 10K, and the race was full of Cumberland County invaders looking to make their mark. Mechanicsburg’s Emily Nelson led the charge, recording a time of 43:39 to win the 25-29 AG. Camp Hill’s Katherine Shank, a National Senior Games champion in the 10K, finished this race in 46:09 to win the 60-64 AG. Other top runners from the race include New Cumberland’s Randolph Wilkinson (56:55), as well as Mechanicsburg’s Shauna Powers (57:37) and Lindsay McCorkel (59:31).

Cem Aslan is a dominating runner on the local road running circuit, but the Camp Hill man is no slouch on the trails, either. Aslan posted an eighth-place time of 4:20:33 at the Naked Nick 50K in Leesport, a race that also featured local finishes from Camp Hill’s Caleb Shelton (5:32:11) and Brandon Wentz (6:39:50), Carlisle’s Michelle Baldwin (6:18:00) and Scott Baldwin (6:18:03), and Newville’s Josh Blain (6:36:45). The Naked Nick 25K was highlighted by a fifth-place finish in 1:55:35 from Camp Hill’s Craig Schroll, while other top finishers from the race include Mechanicsburg’s Matthew Zubrzycki (2:07:40), Christian Pavlovich (2:23:23), and Ray Smith (2:23:25), as well as Camp Hill’s Ray Adams (2:10:34).

Carlisle’s Cameron Howard (1:16:29) and Daly Hurst (1:16:29) each nailed down AG awards at the 12K o’ Christmas in Richboro, while Mechanicsburg’s Brad Westhafer ran races in back-to-back weeks, completing the Holiday 5K in York in 34:22, before posting a 31:04 at the Festivus For the Rest Of Us 5K in New Florence.

A number of others were active in races across the region, including Camp Hill’s Rory Langan (24:50 at Jingle 5K), Michael Ramsden (29:28 at Humbug Bustle 5K), Dave McSherry (1:11:17 at Holiday 10K), Sarah Langan (1:34:41 at Jingle 15K), and Brian Lobel (2:25:25 at Kiawah Island Half Marathon), and Mechanicsburg’s Alexis Worrall (53:51 at Holiday 10K) and Kevin Anderson (46:55 at Celtic Solstice 5-Miler).

Finally, a shoutout to a pair of Mechanicsburg runners who traveled to Texas to compete in destination races. Shelley Mueller finished the Dallas Half Marathon in 2:39:11, while Akshaj Kumar recorded a 5:28:28 at the Bryan/College Station Marathon.

And now, a look ahead

Holiday 5K/10K: Saturday, 8:30 a.m., in Manheim. Lancaster Junction Trail will serve as the backdrop for this race, put on by US Road Running. Look for the race on runsignup.com.

John Rudy 5 Miler: Saturday, Dec. 30, 9 a.m., in York. The York Road Runners Club Winter Series resumes with this race, its fourth of nine events. Learn more at yorkroadrunners.com.

The Last Mile: Saturday, Dec. 30, 10 a.m., in Duncannon. Finish your 2023 strong with this challenging five-mile race. Find the event on runsignup.com.

Also: Lehigh Valley New Year’s Chaser Half Marathon (Monday, Jan. 1, in Coplay); New Year Run Challenge (Monday, Jan. 1, in Mechanicsburg).