My 12th 5K for this challenge was the Holiday in Lights Run/Walk in Sharon Woods last weekend. The park has a holiday light show and carloads of people meander through the route viewing Christmas lights while listening to Christmas tunes on the radio. A standard holiday activity in my neck of the woods.
For starters, it was cold. 29 degrees. I wore so many layers, that I feared drinking anything because I would eventually have to use the bathroom and take everything off. In a Port-O-Let. Not a pretty picture.
There were some hard-core individuals who insisted on wearing shorts and t-shirt. They should have been given a special test and sent home. (I would have done that if I were in charge...but sadly, I am not the boss of them.) There were families dressed as elves....well, most of the family. There was Mom Elf, Dad Elf and two middle school-aged boy elves. Then there was teen-text princess who rolled her eyes and stood apart from the group sighing heavily, wanting nothing to do with them. Ah, the holidays....it brings families closer.
I started near the back with the stroller crowd, thinking that participants wearing jeans probably weren't really running. I was wrong. It was a good race, partially because it started with limited light. As the walk progressed and the sun set, it became darker and you couldn't see all the hills. So that was a bonus.
I want to report that I actually ran some of this 5K. It was downhill and there was considerable momentum built up, but it counts anyway.
What have we learned today? The Holiday in Lights in Sharon Woods Park was much easier in a car.
Number 11 was a Run for the Troops held at Otto Armleder Park near Lunken Airport. It was a small gathering, about 80 people. I know it had about 80 people because I finished 79th in the race. In my defense, there were a lot of people with "U.S. Marines" and "Navy" written across the front of their shirts. Even the big guy running in Dockers placed ahead of me. I try not to take any of this to heart. I figure I'm ahead of everyone still on the couch.
But I digress. Back to the race.
It began with a presentation of colors, singing the national anthem and a prayer. I don't think any other race has begun that way.
The Yellow Ribbon Support Center was started by the parents of Matt Maupin, a serviceman who was ambushed and taken prisoner while in Iraq serving our country. His family began to send packages to servicemen with Matt's picture on the box in order to keep his situation in the forefront of their minds. Soon they were sending packages filled with basic necessities to any soldier in need.
His family kept his name in the news as a reminder to all of us back home, that Matt was not home yet. His remains were found and returned to his family roughly 4 years after he was ambushed. I remember his funeral procession. The funeral was held at Great American Ballpark as the family wanted a space large enough to hold anyone who might come, since so many from across Cincinnati had become familiar with Matt's story. Afterwards, the funeral procession inched up I-71 towards Gate of Heaven cemetery. People lined the highway and every overpass to pay their respects.
I (and countless others) waited at the exit near Gate of Heaven to see his funeral procession. There were several members of the Sheriff's department also in attendance. They saluted the hearse as it passed by. Everybody was quiet.
It struck me as odd that that the 5K last week celebrating Halloween was far more populated than the 5K this week supporting our soldiers. No judgement here. Just an observation. Makes me think.
