I live in New Haven, Conn., with very few obvious reasons to travel down the coast to Southport, but if such a journey were in the cards I could hop the Metro-North train and be there in a half hour with no hassle. Or I could drive down Interstate 95 — likely with plenty of hassle. Or perhaps I could charter a boat and get there via Long Island Sound.
But I'm a runner, so when I think of those 26.2 miles or so from New Haven to Southport I think of my running shoes (Asics, of course). And I fantasize about what routes I'd take to maximize ocean vistas and minimize traffic crossings and avoid dead ends.
Then I imagine the pain.
These days, untold numbers of people are trusting their legs to carry them 26.2 miles to the finish lines of marathons everywhere, from Boston to Big Sur, whether it be their first or 500th race. On Nov. 2, I hope to become one of them by running the NYC Marathon, the granddaddy of them all with more than 38,000 runners completing the race in 2007.
Just don't ask me to explain why. It doesn't make much sense even to a semi-regular runner like me. Why volunteer to put the body through such an ordeal?
The first marathon was run by a fellow named Pheidippides with a mission: Carry a Greek battlefield message of victory from Marathon to Athens.
Upon completing the mission, the messenger promptly died.
Not a very auspicious beginning. But now — 2,500 years and many pairs of sandals and shoes later — the competition begotten by poor Pheidippedes' fateful run now counts more than 400,000 finishes a year in the United States alone, according to MarathonGuide.com's annual report.
Some even claim to enjoy it.
A friend of mine, after running his first marathon in 2006 in Minnesota's Twin Cities, said by the end he felt overcome by emotion amid the cheering crowds and giant American flag flapping overhead near the end of the race course. Not to mention the sense of accomplishment he felt.
And what do marathoners have to show for their accomplishment? The cynical observer may scoff and say, not much.
But runners know the sum is greater than its component miles. The exhilaration is hard to describe, but it's undeniable. I hope for Northeast Runner to become a lively forum for its expression.
1 comment:
Dave, I'll hope that you will address the performance enhancing capabilities of vehicle exhaust in your Northeast Runner blog. It is my contention that because exhaust is basically unburned energy from a car or truck, that it gives you north easterners unfair advantage. You, especially you, should compensate by carrying a brick in each hand.
Post a Comment