We Ran Anyway (part 2)

The sun rose on that beautiful November 4th morning, ready to light up the stage of a very historical event that was about to take place.  As I gathered the necessary supplies to run 26.2 miles on my own on a cool but gorgeous fall day, my emotions kept my mind pacing..."This isn't exactly how I had thought that particular morning would've turn out, but that was okay.  I was going to run anyway.  The unknown was exciting. "Will anyone else show up?" I wondered.

On the subway headed to Central Park

The scene when we first entered the park

As we left our hotel and headed for the subway to Central Park, we saw other groups of runners here and there.  Some running, some, like us, headed for the subway.  We emerged from the subway near Central Park only to be greeted with a loud roar of cheering.  As we got closer to the park, we discovered why we had heard the noise. Here came a very large group of runners beginning their "Run Anyway" marathon.  There were people everywhere, speaking so many different languages! Runners were going in both directions on the path in the park.  We set up camp in the bleachers that would have normally been filled with paid spectators to watch the finish.  The finish line had been blockaded, unfortunately.  Still don't understand that move.  I couldn't help but wonder why they felt they had to take that away too. It didn't seem to matter, though.  There were boxes set in front of the finish line, with the words, "For the Hurricane Victims" hand written on them.  Runners were depositing their warm up clothes in them, then beginning their journey.

With most of the runners running counterclockwise, I decided to run clockwise, so that I would be able to get a good idea of how many were running.  I unfurled the flag and began lap 1.  Speed was not the plan today.  It was about 50 degrees and sunny, no wind.  A perfect day for a run, if you ask me.  I remained on the outside of the path, so the flag would not envelope anyone. You could here cheering all around the park, from both runners and the spectators.  Most often I would hear, "Yeah, Americana! Alright!" and "U.S.A.!"  One man said while he was on the phone and running, "Hey, I just got passed by the Stars & Stripes!"  There were many flags from other countries there as well, most gave me high-fives as we met. One flag was so big, it took eight runners to hold.

The area in front of the bleachers became to picture posing area.  My oldest son was fortunate enough to be able to capture many of these images as he stayed there the entire time.  He said he was never bored, there was always something entertaining to watch.  For instance, a small group was chanting, "Mexico! Mexico! (pronounced as the Mexicans say it). Then, a person on the bench also joined in...pronouncing it slightly differently.  The group of Mexican runners asked where he was from.  "Norway" he responded.  ~ Others were dressed in costume: a kiwi from New Zealand; an elf from ?; and some were wearing their flag.  It was truly a world party, here to celebrate the human spirit.

On my second lap, I met another Hope For the Warriors Team member named Kevin.  He hadn't planned on running that morning.  In fact, he had been out with tequila the night before.  When he woke up that morning, he thought, "What the heck, maybe I will go for a little run in honor of Team Hope For the Warriors."  Wow, was he surprised at what he found!  We found a third member, Nicole, who was running her first marathon.  She was from New York and told us what it was like during the storm.  Where she lived, only the power went out for a few hours, but not much other damage.  We took a group photo by the finish line before continuing on at our own pace.  A man from another country, speaking very little English, jumped into the picture.  He was overjoyed!  Never knew exactly what he had said, but you knew it was good.

Team Hope for the Warriors + A random fan of America

Lap 3, my husband joined me, as well as Kevin again.  One loop is just over 6 miles.  He was able to capture some video & pictures as well.  By this time, we had switched our direction to run counter-clockwise, which was going in the direction of most of the runners.  We had estimated there to be around 10,000 runners.  It was larger than Grandma's in Duluth.  Dan, my husband, really enjoyed seeing the familiar sights, like the ice skating rink that is in the movie, "Night of the Museum", and along with that, the actual Museum of Natural History.  In case you are wondering, only the outside of that building was used in the movie.  The inside looks very different.  Just before we got to the finish line area to begin lap four, a German man came from behind and grabbed the flag just below my hand.  I wasn't sure what to think.  Turns out, he had a small crew with him because he was celebrating his 100th marathon. A man took our picture while running and said that it was going to be in a German newspaper where this man was from.  He felt honored to have run with me and to have carried the American flag for a little ways.

Entering lap #4 

Lap 4, Jordan, my other son joined me.  He had just wrapped up a successful cross country season so six miles was nothing, especially at the pace I was going.  The sights along the course were comparable to any other marathon.  Spectators came with signs, with bells & other instruments. Even an accordion treated us with a tune.  Amongst the cheering, there was a lady who was dressed in a striped-spandex-one-piece suit who walked out onto the course thanking the runners for our spirit.  A little out-there, maybe, but she was happy we were there.  We happened upon a carriage being pulled by two beautiful Percherons.  The clip-clop sound of their hooves confirmed I was in Central Park, NY.  The manure, however, reminded me of home, running past the farm fields having been freshly spread with nature's best fertilizer.  I had noticed that the hills in the park seemed to get bigger with each lap.  Thankfully, many spectators had brought their own food and drink to share with the runners.  Pretzels & gummy bears were a favorite.  There was one couple in particular, that held out a tray of peanut-butter sandwiches cut into small squares.  Didn't speak a word of English...didn't have to.  They knew what we needed and we knew what they had was for us. That little sandwich gave me the "umph" to complete the last couple of miles.

I ran the last mile and half on my own hoisting the flag high.  My GPS needed to say 26.2 before I'd stop running.  My thoughts collected during that time.  I wanted to soak in every smile I saw, every comment heard, every clap and whistle sounded.  My quest was about to end.  Though it was not what I had trained for mentally, it was much more than what I had hoped for.  On that day, runners from countries all over the world did not give up.  Their spirits had not been broken.  No one protested.  No one rebelled. Police & EMS were there but not needed.  This had been a truly spontaneous event which was executed with such finesse and compassion.  This had been the world's largest unofficial marathon, that will most likely never happen again.  I was honored to have been there and have the opportunity to represent the Warriors who have fought for our country and our freedoms, and also the wonderful, generous, & supportive community I am proud to call home.

 God Bless America!

Taken by a National Post Photographer

*There are many photos & video online, like you-tube & facebook; look up "Run Anyway Marathon NY"