There were professional photographers at last Saturday's 10K in Richmond. I've been looking at some of the pictures they've posted of the race online. It's interesting watching the race not as a participant but as a spectator. I do not see bodies but wills straining to reach the finish. I see uncrowned champions at the back of the pack unconcerned about what others are doing. For them, winning is saying "I didn't quit." This is why every finisher deserves applause, especially those farthest back. They are using the same level of effort as those who finished at the head of the pack. No one did less than their best. It matters little that they cannot run any faster. It matters that they are doing it with all their might. I no longer aspire to quality for the Boston Marathon. I will never win the Nobel Prize for literature. "I am writing the best I can," said a best-selling author. "If I could write any better, I would."
Here we are in the finishers' chute after the race.
People were anxious to greet their friends and loved ones. Everyone was a hero in my eyes. And none were more heroic than those deep in the struggle against genetics or age.
Just a personal observation I thought I'd share with you. Love you all!
