Funny the way things work out.

I hadn't thought of Brian Sheriff in years. How many years? I would have guessed eight or nine, but it turned out to be much longer, the way most passages of time are. What seems a few years back is usually a lot more.

Bill Khan, the Flint Journal reporter and fellow runner who does so much to publicize the sport in mid-Michigan, and I were on the press truck at this year's Crim. It's a ritual for us. We ask each other how our running's going, we help each other get the exact time at each mile split, we - with our fading eyesight - help each other read bib numbers on the front of the elite runners as we bounce along Flint's streets for 10 miles.

Then, at the finish, we help each other track down runners, trade quotes we've garnered, and help each other try to figure out what the latest Kenyan hotshot is saying in his or her thickly-accented English.

This year's men's race was won by Linus Maiyo in a relatively- pedestrian (easy for me to say) time of 48:06. That wasn't the big story. The big story was Brian Sell's breakthrough run in finishing fourth. Maiyo's time was the slowest winning effort in a long time. Sell's run was the best by an American in a long time. How long were those "long times"? I had no idea, nor did Khan.

Bill keeps meticulous Crim records in his computer at the Journal, so we walked back to his office to look up what I needed to know for my Detroit News and Michigan Runner stories. Sell's finish was the first in the top five by an American since 1991. Maiyo's time was the slowest by a winner since Brian Sheriff of Zimbabwe won in 1987.

What? Nineteen freakin' eighty-seven? Seventeen years? Ohmigod. I remembered it like, well, not yesterday, but like 1998, maybe.

Here's another way to put the distance of time in perspective. Just as Sell had a breakthrough run in 2004, an unknown American named Paul Aufdemberge, just out of college, had a breakthrough Crim in 1987, finishing third. Today, Aufdemberge - still cranking out great times, still showing up Crim - is one of the grand not-quite-old men of Michigan runners who seems like he's been around forever.

Sheriff was extremely gracious and well-spoken after his win, English crisp and clear. He had been, if I recall correctly, an engineering student in the U.S. He was also, for much of the late 1980s, one of the best runners in the world.

After our post-race interview, Sheriff told me how much he liked the brightly-colored Michigan Runner t-shirt I was wearing and wondered where he could buy one. Buy? No way. I'd send him one, or at least get Art McCafferty to send him one. Brian said if we did, he would wear it at races around the country. Not long after, he got his shirt. Where he wore it, I have no idea.

All of that flashed through my mind in the instant after Khan mentioned his name. I vaguely remembered Sheriff had gone to Japan to take an engineering job, maybe with one of the auto companies, and train its elite-running team. What had happened to him?

A Google search showed Sheriff was still running well in 1990, winning the New Bedford Half-Marathon in 1:02:5, just seven seconds off Geoff Smith's course record. But after that, nothing.

Until Saturday morning, Oct. 2, when this e-mail popped into my inbox, with this subject line: "Brian Sheriff in from the cold."

Here's what he had to say: Mr. Henderson,

Sir, how are you? Pardon the sudden and as I can only assume, very unexpected letter. I have been away from your country for some time now and I would not be surprised if you no longer remember me. The reason I have been out of touch with my U.S. running family is due to my personal status.

Sir, I have been stateless since I was banished from my native Zimbabwe in December of 1988. And when my U.S student visa ran its course in 1991 I had to leave your country. Fortunately at that time a Japanese company offered me a contract to run for its corporate team. As a rather conservative Roman Catholic - boarding school-raised - the offer to "work and live in a land without god" was only acceptable due to my having no other place to go. And with all regrets I came out here in November 1991.

It has been 12 years of sheer agony and I cannot take it any longer. Of all the things I have been able to call my very own, the one I would never trade for anything - running - I am unfortunately unable to practice out here.

Open running as we know it in the good old U.S. of A simply does not exist. My last race or organized run was in November 1998. I won it and received absolutely nothing! Not even a "well done." The next morning's paper carried the results, but would you believe it, my name was purged. I have been unable to find a race since.

The offer made by the Japanese firm proved to be not what I had expected. With no legal assistance available to me and a judicial society that told me that I was lucky to have a country that would take me so I should instead be showing Mazda gratitude ... you can understand what I've had to endure.

Sir, I write to you today hoping that perhaps you could help me with a little advice or lead me to somebody who can help. I am very obliged to you for any consideration you can show me. Michigan Runner is the first organization I have told my story to. Perhaps if time permits I may try The Flint Journal some day. Although I did not live in Michigan, my heart I seemed to leave in Michigan. The fondest memories of races run and races lost are for experiences I had in your state.

Some of the dearest and sweetest, most-considerate people I ever met were, again, from your state - to name but a few Mr. Bobby Crim of Flint, Miss Lois Craig of Flint, Miss Laurie Macon of Flint, and Mr. Greg Meyer of Grand Rapids.

I am married now to a lovely lady from a small island that lies between Korea and Japan. We have a spirited little two-and-a-half-year-old boy named Patrick, in honor of my Irish roots - father. And it is for my little boy that I have decided to seek assistance in relocating permanently to a Christian country. I will be 40 this November and I think I owe it to my former running buddies to meet them on the masters circuit too.

Sir, I would consider myself most blessed to find anybody out there that could offer me help in finding a country I can call my own. The possibility of ever being able to return to my native Zimbabwe is rather remote. Though it is a country I dearly love, it unfortunately has told me in the very crudest terms that as a person of mixed heritage my presence in the country is considered undesirable. It is now 18 years since I last saw my family.

During all that time they have suffered untold mental anguish at the once-frequent visits - reduced in recent years - they received from the police. The Zimbabwe police have gone as far as to file false criminal charges against me with the U.S. State Department and with Interpol.

Sir, can you please help me?

Sincerely, Brian Sheriff

I forwarded his e-mail to Greg Meyer, who, though in Italy, quickly responded:

I do believe it's on the up and up ... Brian was a very-honorable person. I would be willing to help if you can get more information from him. The running community should help a person like this ...

I'll pass this to a few lawyers I know ... maybe you have an idea ... maybe MR could run an article asking for assistance from a lawyer who may know how to deal with this.

At deadline - actually, past our deadline - I have written Brian asking for more details about what he wants and how we might accomplish it. Nothing I'd like more than to see Brian Sheriff back on U.S. soil, kicking butt and flashing that smile of his.

Stay tuned. MR