Taking Part in Community

This past weekend was the Little Rock Marathon, which is a huge event here.  People come from all over, and I mean ALL over, to participate and to earn the 2.5 pound, dinner plate sized, finisher’s medal.  All kinds of people run the race, which includes a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a Little Rocker’s one mile finisher for the kids.  You see runners, walkers, young people, old people, fat people, skinny people, veterans of many races, and newbies who are running their first race.  You see all kinds of athletes, and you see an amazing number of volunteers.

Now, let me make it clear that I am not a runner.  I will walk all day and enjoy it, but I do not run.  In fact, if you see me running there are probably wolves chasing me, so you had better get moving.  Chances are, you will be fine, because I am pretty slow.  I also don’t like races.  I have walked the 5K in the past, and I could walk the 10K as well, but I don’t like the stress of race day.  All the getting ready, weather uncertainties, parking hassles, take the party hats out of the occasion for me.  I have enjoyed the actual walk and meeting new people, but I’m just not physically competitive enough to get excited about the race.

That said, I’m married to a marathoner…a real runner, who loves the whole package.  He trains hard and seriously, and loves it.  I am part of his support crew and his head cheerleader.  I am so proud of him, and the fact that my over-50 year old husband looks so good, and can smoke younger runners is a bonus.  I really like being a participant on the sidelines.

This year I volunteered at the Expo, handing out race packets, and I had a ball. It is such an opportunity for encouragement.  My favorite are the people who are running their first race.  They are so excited, and so proud of their effort and training, but nervous too.  I love the way they tell you their stories.  They encourage me, and make me want to reciprocate.  I worked for over four hours, on my feet, and wanted to do four hours more.  In fact, next year I will sign up for both days at the Expo.

I am struck by how much this non-runner enjoys hanging out with runners.  It is such a diverse group and has room for everyone.  Cheering on the morning of the marathon, I saw some of my former students, 16-year-olds, running 13.1 or 26.2 miles, and I was so proud of them.  I was proud of their dedication and commitment.  I don’t know why they were doing it, but I do know that they didn’t just decide to go out and run a full or half marathon.  They trained.  They ran a lot of miles.  Sometimes the weather conditions are awful, but runners do it anyway.  And, mostly, they do it for the satisfaction.  They aren’t going to win any speed awards, but they can, and often do, set personal records.  

Runners tend to support one another.  They will encourage one another, and there are many examples of runners sacrificing their own times to help another runner who is cramping, in distress, or who just can’t get up that hill.  Often, runners will finish their race, then go back out on the course to run the last three, or five, or seven miles with another runner in order to help them cross the finish line.

All of this is why runners are a group I want to support, and why I will keep on volunteering, and cheering from the sidelines. They have a lot to teach us about commitment, responsibility, and compassion.  Runners are cool with non-runners too.  They may not understand us any better than we understand them, but they tend to encourage us on whatever path we take to get moving.  As a walker, I have gotten a lot of encouragement from runners, and I have never felt like they looked down on my pitiful efforts.  Instead, they have encouraged me.  In spite of running being, in a sense, a solitary sport, runners aren’t islands.  They are a community.

They say that, in the good old days, more communities used to be like the running community.  These are my good old days, so I can’t speak about that. All I can say is that I love this community that I’ve discovered.  I am glad they have a place for supporters.