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My husband and I had the pleasure of participating in the North Face Endurance 50 with Dean Karnazes last
Monday. For those of you who are not familiar with this incredible man and his mission....Dean, otherwise known as the "UltraMarathon Man", is running 50 marathons in 50
days in 50 states to inspire as many people as possible to adopt healthy lifestyles, and to get out there and move, no matter how fast or slow. And he is succeeding in
his mission. His journey began on September 17 in MO at the Lewis and Clark Marathon and will end on November 5 in New York at the NYC Marathon. Each marathon that he has run (32 to date) has included several first timers, my husband being one of them, and runners from all walks of life with incredible stories of beating the odds to accomplish their goals. We ran the Breakers Marathon course with 27 other runners on an absolutely perfect fall morning. The course is a rolling three loop course run along the ocean and quaint back roads of Middletown RI. It is a scenic, pristine course, and the actual event along with a 50k is held on Oct 21st. The company was great and the energy of the group never wavered even during the tougher stretches. Dean was larger than life, but so down to earth at the same time...just like a running buddy you've run with hundreds of times. His crew was enthusiastic (even though this was the 30th time they had done this in as many days), and they made sure every runner was well taken care of. This was marathon #11 for me, the slowest, but without a doubt, the most enjoyable. It wasn't about time or pace this time. It was about sharing a goal and absolute determination to reach it with 27 other runners. It was about being in the moment, savoring it, and not wanting it to end, even at mile 26. It was about being a tiny part of something pretty big. We both feel so fortunate to have had the chance to experience 4 or so hours and 26 miles of one man's journey which will take him hundreds of miles more to complete. |
Sunday, January 07, 2007 02:04 PM