Today I had the opportunity to run in the Annual Jerome Hill Climb. There might have been 150 runners in attendance. The weather was on the cool side and although the sun was a bit bright, it was a great climate for a race.
I’ve been entering races now for 26 years. I’ve been in races of all sizes. From large ones that have 30,000 participants to others who barely pull together 100. In fact I was in one, in New Jersey where I think that maybe there was 20 of us that lined up at the starting line.
Point being, I really enjoy the smaller runs. The allure that the bigger runs have with their media hype will certainly pique my curiosity in the future. But today when the starter stood in front and yelled GO! And nobody had to worry about nudging anyone out of the way when we started. Or the fact that I could run, right from the start instead of walking for 15 minutes before everyone had a chance to spread out and then run.
Well today reminded me of why I love entering into races, especially the local sponsored, locally organized ones. The races that at the end you’re not inundated with advertisements, your surrounded by people who just want to run, who give you an acknowledging nod or smile, because you are part of a community.
Next time you’re planning to do an event, please consider the ones your local organizers are putting on. Maybe this year instead of doing the Rock n Roll Marathon you look into the Lost Dutchman Marathon. I’ll bet you’ll run just as hard.