i ran the 2010 point bock run today. it was a fun day in which i was able to see quite a few “threads.” i have three things i want to post.
first, on a whim i decided to do something i have never done … i ran in costume. one of the things that pamela and i love about about the marathons and half-marathons that i have run is the costumed people that run the races. some people come to the races ready to party and they make it fun for everyone else. for example, when i ran the chicago marathon in 09 i ran against a guy dressed as the pope – funny hat, staff, and all. there were also three guys that had rigged a chinese dragon to harnesses so that it floated above the crowd of runners. it was very cool. i love the creativity and fun that the costumed people bring to the race. therefore, i decided to be one of those people for the bock run. actually i was one of 4 costumed people out of 2,000 people who ran the race. the other costumed people were a a guy who wore a green afro, a guy who made a spiked mohawk with his hair, and a guy who had pinned a dust ruffle around his neck as a cape. we were the costumed aspect of the bock run.
this was the first i have ever done this but it won’t be the last. it was a lot of fun running through the race hearing people shout “RUN ELVIS!” i was asked a couple of times during the run if i had run the las vegas marathon yet because they the running elvi begin the race there. kids shouted, adults smiled, and everyone seemed to enjoy the costume. a couple of friends of mine were behind me and when they saw me after the race they told me about all the people talking about elvis passing them during the run. while i’m not sure that i would want to do this on any of the other races i run during the year, i do plan on regularly doing this in the point bock run. it would be even more fun if i could get a few people to costume up with me. who knows we might could turn the bock into a primarily costumed run. that would definitely be fun.
second, i was apparently destined to run today as someone other than my normal self. the race administration made a mistake in entering my registration information because i was labeled as “chris terrell” instead of my real name of “robert adam terrell.” this was pretty easy to correct because our family is the only terrell family in the point area – remember we are surrounded by german and polish people, there aren’t many english names around here. whether i was dressed as elvis or not wasn’t going to matter. i wasn’t going to be running as “robert” today.
third, i love the general vibe of support that is a part of a road race. people genuinely want others to do well in the race. people shout for each other and stay to cheer for the people who are finishing after them. i can’t tell you how many times i have heard someone encourage another racer that they were being passed by or who they were passing. it doesn’t matter if you are fast or slow everyone just wants you to do your best. if you are a slow runner nobody expects you to run with the fastest. you are just expected to try your hardest, improve, and enjoy the experience. it’s a pretty good example of what community is supposed to be like. the fast as well as the slow are expected to run their best and everyone is supposed to “enjoy the ride.” if you do that then the people at the race will celebrate with you. i think that is what the church should do – encourage both the slow and the fast to run their best and party big time.