The Marathon

26.2 miles! I know a few marathoners, but I haven’t taken that leap myself yet. My sister, a few good friends…people are running and walking marathons in record numbers. There was a controversial NY Times article a while back about slow runners participating in marathons. The article had a negative connotation and basically gave the opinion that less than elite runners don’t have a place in a marathon. Of course, I vehemently disagreed with the article and voiced my opinion here. I believe, as so many people do, that marathons are for just about everyone.

I have a friend who competes. She’s not a professional runner, but when she gets to the starting line, whatever distance it is, she’s on fire. She bolts for the finish with sheer determination to win, to be the fastest she can, to be the best that she can. And she almost always places, whether it’s over all, for her age group, she has countless trophies and medals. She works hard for her successes with running. She’s in that group of runners that the rest of us can look up to, be proud of, and know that we’ll never come close to that level and that’s ok. God love her, that girl is fast.

Most of us have less lofty running goals. We don’t aim to win. We just want to complete the run and hopefully, just maybe, set a personal record. Those are the people, the marathoners who make running events so popular today. A friend of mine completed a marathon today. It was her third, but her first time running it. It was a spectacular event for her and I am so happy for her success. She finished the marathon in just over 6 hours, which was a PR by about a half hour. She called me afterward while she was icing her leg. She was tired and worn out, but she gave it all she had and completed the mileage.

By putting herself out there and moving her body even when she wanted quit, she accomplished something great. This is exactly the “average joe” runner who is inspiring to so many others, including me. My friend will go back to work and her daily living, and she will be more of an inspiration to the people in her life than she even realizes. By accomplishing her goals, she tells others that they can to. That’s an awesome thing.

Congratulations, friend!