Dunlap made "Sometimes I Run" while attending Southern Methodist University. He met Maupin after writing to Mayor West Wise to ask for help in locating a suitable subject for his documentary on Dallas nightlife. Wise subsequently put him into contact with the Public Works Department, where an employee referred him to Maupin. 

Maupin professes his enjoyment of his job and the outdoors, saying there are times when he "runs down these sidewalks."