#9 Running Scared 5K

Running Scared 5K is a small, neighborhood run to benefit the local Catholic school in Reading, OH.  It had all the aspects of an October run.  
- Costumed runners. 
- A race route through a cemetery. 
- A smorgasbord of food available at the after party. 
- A beer truck.
- A local band. 

I could write about the costumes.  A woman with a giant spider on her back and her friend, covered in cobwebs.  An entire family dressed as bumble bees.  Pets and their owners dressed in matching costumes.  Super heroes with capes.  The woman dressed in a bright purple belly dancer costume, cheering from the sidelines.

Or I could write about the food or the band.  (Lots of it and Good tunes)

But this story is about a fellow walker.  His name is Richard. 

I can't tell you much about Richard.  I don't know how old he is, what his back-story is, or even what he looks like, because Richard was in front of me for the entire race and I didn't get a good look at his face.  He did have a halting gait and I only know that his name was Richard because, in addition to having a halting gait, Richard also had a coach.  A mentor.  A cheerleader.  A fan club of one. Not really sure what to call this guy, but Richard's "Guy" (as I will now refer to him) was all of those things and more.

"Guy" cheered Richard on.... every step of the way.  "Doing good Richard.  Keep the pace.  We have some room to move now, Richard."  Richard kept pace.  Richard plugged away.  "Guy" ran the race backward, so as to face Richard, and cheer him on.  Seriously?  Backwards?  I would have fallen on my ass.  

Richard finished the race and so did "Guy"...... long before my daughter and I did, because we were the very last ones in the race and once you harness that position early on....you don't want to let go.  (Picture this if you will.......the police car is behind you, lights are rolling, following you at its slowest speed, in order to return the closed streets to traffic flow, and you don't speed up.  It's a pride thing.)   

Anyway....back to Richard and "Guy"......After the race, I lost track of the pair.  Maybe Richard and "Guy" went to party elsewhere.  Maybe they were taking a well-deserved rest.  Maybe the race was a first stop on a long list of to-do's for the evening.

But this pair got me thinking.  Every now and then, you have the opportunity to witness a slice of somebody else's life and get a peak at the obstacles they face and you wonder "how do you do it?  How do you get up and face the day? Each day?"

With a little help from my friends. I get by with a  little help from my friends.  - Lennon and McCartney