It doesn’t happen often when a runner is thankful for an injury that forced him to slow down and walk/jog/limp the final miles of a race. But I am. Allow me to explain. It was Saturday when I was running
It doesn’t happen often when a runner is thankful for an injury that forced him to slow down and walk/jog/limp the final miles of a race.
But I am. Allow me to explain.
It was Saturday when I was running on Ke Ala Hele Makalae, five miles into the Mayor-a-thon, leading a small field of those who actually ran to the turnaround point, 3.75 miles, from Kapaa Beach Park to where the path ends just past Donkey Beach, when I felt the right hamstring start to tighten.
No worries. It would go away in a few seconds, I thought. Wrong. It got tighter. I tried running through it but couldn’t. In a matter of 100 or so yards, I was reduced to a hobble and stopped to stretch and get water at Kealia Beach. It was there I met Eileen (can’t guarantee I’m spelling her name right). Both of us were struggling, me with that hamstring, her with humidity and heat, so we resumed our journey to the finish line together. We chatted throughout those final two miles, encouraging, motivating, sharing thoughts on life. We talked about how we both wound up on Kauai and came to be in Mayor-a-thon, and the fate that put us together to finish this race on a beautiful sunny morning.
She was a reservist with the military from Indianapolis, Ind., and was here with the military folks for Tropic Care. She was stationed at Eleele school, where they helped many appreciative people with vision, health and dental needs. She loved the beauty of Kauai, but was a bit overwhelmed by the humidity and heat.
“I’m not really a runner,” she said.
Back home, she worked with Veterans Affairs, assisting veterans select where they wanted to be buried when they passed on. They can decide which military cemetery they would like to be interred and Eileen made the arrangements. She loves her job assisting veterans. She loves Indiana, by the way, was a volunteer fitness instructor at her nondenominational church, The Gathering Place, and believes the body is a temple provided by God that needs to be treated well through diet and exercise. She would have loved to have seen more of Kauai, but Tropic Care demanded her time and attention, and she was glad to give it.
As we maintained our march of sorts, we met up with Dave Jordan, who was pushing his two dachshunds, Moki and Baxter, in a stroller. Moki’s back legs, he explained, were paralyzed, so the 15-year-old dog was outfitted with a cart. Dave explained he loved to take the dogs out, even when it meant he did all the work. He quickly thanked Eileen for being here with Tropic Care. “What you’re doing here is wonderful,” he said.
With the finish line in sight near Kapaa Beach Park, Eileen perked up and picked up the pace, running it in. “C’mon, let’s finish strong,” she said.
Her military friends greeted her with a big cheer. “Everybody, say hi to Bill,” she said. “He got me here.” And they did.
We chatted for another minute or so, shared a quick high five and hug, and went our separate ways. Normally, I would have been angry, depressed and upset with being unable to run strong throughout for the second consecutive race (my calves cramped up at the Haena to Hanalei 8 miler early this month and I had to do a fast shuffle the final miles). Instead, I came away knowing this: Because I had to slow down on Saturday, I ran a few miles with a good person from Indiana on Kauai doing good work. Both of us, strangers when the run started, were facing a difficult day. We had a tough road ahead, but together, we finished strong.
And that is the best ending to any race.
•••
Speaking of running, I just came across this release:
Renowned ultra-distance runner Lisa Smith-Batchen will try to become the first female ultramarathoner in the world to cross the famed Badwater-to-Mount Whitney course four times back-to-back starting July 1, running a total of 584 miles in an effort to fundraise for cleaner, healthier water across the world.
Smith-Batchen and her support crew will begin the Badwater4GoodWater run when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures often climb to 130 degrees. The run will include not only two out-and back circuits of the traditional Badwater-to-Mount Whitney course, which is 135 miles, but also two trips to the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the Continental United Sates at 14,505 feet and an estimated 96,000 feet of elevation change.
Portions of the proceeds from Smith-Batchen’s fundraising from the run will go to Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 1.5 million square miles of rivers, streams and coastlines across the world.
“My goal is to use my distance running as a tool to improve water conditions and empower advocates like Waterkeeper Alliance to make sure people everywhere have access to clean water,” said Smith-Batchen. “I’m as fit as I have ever been and I can’t wait to begin what’s sure to be an amazing experience.”
“We are proud to partner with Lisa and honored by her commitment to protect the world’s waterways and ensure access to clean water for drinking and recreation,” said Marc Yaggi, Executive Director of Waterkeeper Alliance. “We will be cheering her on every step of the way on her incredible and selfless journey.”
Smith-Batchen, an Idaho resident and accomplished runner, has previously completed the official Badwater Ultramarathon nine times and won the race twice. In 2010, Smith-Batchen completed a tour called “Running Hope through America,” in which she ran 2,500 miles through the United States, running 50 miles in all 50 states in two months to raise money for orphans.
Donations can be made to Waterkeeper Alliance and the Badwater4GoodWater project at www.Badwater4GoodWater.com.
For updates from Smith-Batchen and her crew during the run, please visit the Badwater4GoodWater on Twitter and Instagram.
