The NYC Marathon

I have a new favorite sport to watch. I watched the NYC Marathon yesterday. Jeff recorded it for me and we all watched it after church. I loved that my kids were asking which runner was me... "Is that you, Mommy?" I hated that the coverage focused on just the competitive aspect of the event. Yes, there were all those professional runners and I did enjoy learning about them and witnessing history when Haile Gebrselassie had to drop out and then announced his retirement. I enjoyed "studying" the running form of these elite distance runners. What I wanted, though, was the stories of the 45,000 other runners. The everyday people who had overcome health problems, lost weight, and more to be there. The everyday people who were running for someone else. The people who had personal stakes in each of those 26.2 miles. The people who had taken on this marathon to raise money for a charitable organization close to their hearts. I want to witness the passion of running combining with the passion of life. I've been Googling and Binging away and am not totally satisfied with what I am finding. I'm hoping that I can find a lot more personal stories out there this coming week as blogging marathoners start to share their stories. And I hope that you will think of me if you come across one and you will come back and share it here. I had many people comment on yesterday's post about me being an inspiration. Maybe I am- if I've intrigued you about running or being active or making healthy choices, I suppose I am something of an inspiration. I thank you for those comments- for the support you guys leave me each and every time I struggle or succeed. I want to be inspired. I want to read the stories of the people who overcame in order to be at the marathon or who are marking their victories by running those 26.2 miles. Edison Pena is the most headline grabbing example. I've certainly been inspired by him and the words he has shared and watching some of his marathon experience. In fact, I thought of him while running yesterday. "I ran to beat destiny. I ran to be closer to God." If you find someone's story- will you please share it here? Edited to add: I have come across a lot of running blogs today and am linking up either posts of NYC Marathon 2010 experiences or general running blogs that should be sharing their stories soon. And some other random inspirational stuff that I'm finding.