Monday, February 13, 2012

I ran a marathon last weekend

Ok, it was a half-marathon. And even though my headline suggests otherwise, I'm not bragging about it. If an ego trip was my objective for this blog, I wouldn't dare mention this race, for which I was ill-prepared and suffered from chest congestion, joint pain, ice (yes, I said ice) in my hair, and fatigue of the body and mind. No, I’m not here to toot my own horn. I’m here to convince you to participate in a race with me in late April—the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon, to be exact.

My tactics of persuasion are seriously flawed, you might be thinking. Perhaps. But consider this: As miserable as my experience appears to have been, it was actually amazing—so singular, in fact, that it’s difficult to describe in such a way that could actually do it justice. So I’m ditching persuasion (for the most part) and reaching for my handy-dandy bulleted list. Before I reveal this list, you should have some background information so you better understand the significance of this post.

A group of Union College alumni, staff and students joined together last year for the Derby Festival Marathon. We called ourselves the “Derby Dogs,” and our matching shirts got us noticed along the course and prompted many shouts of encouragement. Some of us ran, others walked. Some of us ran the entire 26.2, while others completed half that distance. Others set personal distance goals and quietly pulled ourselves from the field of runners when either we met the goal or our bodies told us it was time to rest. A few of us waited at the finish line and cheered as each person crossed it. We all “ran our race,” even if we did so figuratively, and had a bonding experience in the process.

Being part of this group was amazing. But being part of a group that together witnessed several highly unusual things—things we wouldn’t see in our daily routines—put extra glue to the bond. These are the types of things that can make it a great day, even when you’re combating jet lag with ice in your hair. I’m talking about things like I saw last weekend. Here comes that list I've been bragging about.

Along the 13.1 mile course, I witnessed:

• a man wearing Carhartt pants while he was running. We’re talking LONG pants.
• a pregnant woman with a “Baby on Board” road sign pinned to her shirt. I must admit that these signs rub me the wrong way when I see them hanging in a vehicle. But it was charming to see this young woman wearing it. She walked at a brisk pace and was met with cheers when I encountered her.
• a man running dressed as Batman. There were many super heroes represented, actually, but only Batman passed me that I noticed.
• a man running dressed as a University of Kentucky cheerleader. This was fun, especially since UK played Vanderbilt that night, but we were in Birmingham for the race. My worlds felt more connected after seeing this guy, as odd as that sounds.
• a wheelchair-bound spectator holding a sign that read “Worst Parade Ever.” This isn’t an uncommon sign to see along the course of a race, but this particular one struck a chord with me because of the man holding it.
• two male spectators wearing very elaborate donkey masks and sitting next to a sign that read “Save Your Ass.” I looked it up, and the SYA Foundation is a fairly recently established nonprofit organization whose mission is to spread awareness about colorectal cancer detection.
• several men wearing only shorts and running shoes. Keep in mind it was about 20 degrees when the race started.
• a host of women wearing shirts that read “Black Girls Run.” This is associated with an organized effort to, according to their blog, “tackle the growing obesity epidemic in the African-American community and provide encouragement and resources to both new and veteran runners.” Check them out for more info: http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/about/
• girls wearing hooped skirts and bonnets in true southern-belle style who volunteered to take up tickets for special drawings for give-aways.
• a bellman at the host hotel, serenading passersby with Whitney Houston’s “How Will I know.” And let me say, he was totally audible. No holding back. But the enthusiasm of his delivery evoked in me an urge to celebrate with him the life of a truly great vocalist. Because of this experience, I will never forget where I was when Whitney Houston’s death was announced.
• the most amazing finisher’s medal ever. This is the closest I’ll ever come to owning a real Mercedes hood ornament. The local Mercedes dealership was a major sponsor.



Yes, my joints are achy today, and I’m mad at myself for not training with more discipline. But I ran my race and, in the process, experienced a lot in a short amount of time. The only way to enhance the experience, in my view, is to enjoy it with a group of people. I’d love for that to happen again this year at the Derby Festival Marathon.

Thank you for considering it.

If you’re interested in gathering with the Derby Dogs for this year’s Derby Festival Marathon, please contact me. If you’re not up for the whole shebang, I know some folks who want to participate in a relay team and are currently looking for teammates. The race is April 28.

Missy Reid, '91
mreid@unionky.edu
606-546-1610

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