It’s 4:15 in the morning, the air is cool for late July. Headlamps are on, here we go.
The location and the people, the two other people, were unfamiliar to me. The task however, was very simple. Run on this trail around a pond many, many times. That was in some weird way, familiar.
We walked the first few laps to warm up. Hearing only our shoes on the dirt and our whispers to each other. This park was technically still closed for another hour until sunrise.
I didn’t know the other two very well, most communication up to this point was through text messaging, but it was one of their birthdays. We seamlessly became acquainted, thinking it would be fun to run as much as we could around such a small loop likely played into how easily we got along. Each lap being just over a half mile and we all agreed this was a great way to celebrate a birthday. The farthest I had run before was 16 miles. My goal for today, 20, more if I’m feeling good.
The first eight miles went by much faster than anticipated. The scenery around us changed with each lap as the sun came up. What was once a pitch black wall ahead of our headlamps was now a nicely shaded trail, with the views of a pond at every moment. With the sun came more people, walkers, dogs and other runners. Family and friends of the birthday boy even showed up just to help us celebrate by joining for a few laps. The stoke was high. We were holding a good pace and continued to click off laps.
As mile 20 approached I was surprised at how good I felt. The consistent food, water and electrolytes were the secret. Every thirty minutes I was drinking and eating something and had plenty of energy to continue past the 20 mile mark.
23 miles in we were welcomed by bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. I was uncertain how this would sit in my stomach but once I started eating it I could not stop!
The next handful of laps things slowed. We started getting tired, maybe the weight of the egg sandwiches played a role. The table of snacks and water became easier to stop at with every lap. The energy from new people showing up to run with us kept us going.
As mile 26.2 approached I felt grateful to be doing this and was so proud, not just of myself but of everyone running with us. For some today marked their first miles in a long time, for others today was used as a training run for something bigger or simply just to help celebrate. For me today was about helping celebrate and getting to connect with others using a medium we were all familiar with, running. Today also marked my first marathon, for a runner that’s a day you never forget. It was different from all the videos and pictures on social media, there was no finish line with hundreds of people yelling and music blasting. There were no finisher medals and swag bags being passed out. There were six of us now running around the same dirt path and pond we had been looking at for hours. When we hit 26.2 there was no big celebration, we quickly mentioned it, I got a few congratulations from others as they knew it was my first, and we continued onward. Looking back I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Despite feeling ok at this point I stopped shortly after, at mile 27, not knowing how my body would feel the next day or how recovery would go. The others continued and reached some incredible distances. The birthday boy exceeded his goal of 32 and ended with a big 38 miles!
Certainly an unconventional but very cool way to hit your first marathon. Whenever someone asks me about my first marathon I get to tell them this story of friendship, hard work and joy.
Michael Collin 