How do you say goodbye to a friend? How do you tell a man how much you admire and respect him when he is gone?

Mike Long, simply one of the nicest men I've met, suffered an apparent heart attack and was found dead at his San Diego home Wednesday morning. He was just 65.

Long was an ambassador of joy, so genuine that you would want him as your best friend. And many did.

If you are not familiar with road racing events such as the Carlsbad 5000 and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, chances are you have never heard of Mike Long.

That is your loss.

Long, a former wrestler at Michigan State, was a stockbroker by trade who moved to San Diego in the early 1970s and joined the running craze.

He was blessed with an easygoing personality and an Irish smile that could light up an arena. People just naturally wanted to be around him.

It wasn't something he planned -- Mike was just being Mike. He liked being around people, especially runners.

When he joined Elite Racing as an athlete recruiter and coordinator in the 1990s, it was a perfect fit.

It was Long who made sure all the top athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia would compete in Carlsbad. He didn't visit those countries with a large satchel of cash, because the Carlsbad 5000 does not pay appearance fees.

But the athletes continued to come here, because Long treated them with dignity and respect. He treated them as his family.

Many of his friends told me that Long was the most authentic person they knew.

You'll get no arguments here.

"To hundreds of Kenyans and Ethiopians, Mike Long was the face of America," agent Brendan Reilly told Runners World magazine. "And we couldn't have asked for a better ambassador."

Elite Racing's Toni Reavis reported that since the news of Long's untimely death, tributes about him have come in from around the world.

Ethiopia's Belay Wolasha, who won the 2000 Rock 'n' Roll, told Reavis, "This is not one man dying, this is a thousand men dying."

In an email to Reavis, Kenyan marathoner Godfrey Kiprotich said: "Mike wasn't only a true ambassador for Elite Racing, but a great mentor and a sincere friend to many people across the continents. When I shared the tragic news to my family, my son asked me if he is the same (man) who was ready to teach him how to swim in one of the hotel pools within Eldoret."

After visiting Ethiopia numerous times in the last decade, Long helped form a nonprofit company, The Entoto Foundation, which delivers medical services to the needy.

And all the work Long did was without fanfare.

Several times over the years, I approached him about doing a story on his life and career. Long would thank me for my interest and politely decline. He then would start telling me about an athlete in the race coming up, saying, "They would be far more interesting than me."

Truth is, Mike Long didn't need any publicity. He was comfortable being himself.

When I first heard of his death, I immediately thought of a conversation we had several years ago. It was right at the end of the Carlsbad 5000, which was once again dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.

I suggested to Elite Racing founder Tim Murphy that we start a competition between the two countries and have a perpetual team trophy, combining the top five scores in the men's and women's pro races. It would be scored like a cross country meet.

As I was explaining this to Murphy, Long stood nearby and listened.

"We could call it the Mike Long Trophy," I told Murphy. Long just laughed.

"I don't know about that," he said. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he added: "Just don't make it a memorial trophy."

Godspeed, Mike Long. You'll be missed by many.

Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or stevescho@cox.net.