One of my favorite things to do in my job is to talk to someone who is getting ready for their first marathon. I ask them various questions about what made them decide to do a particular race, how will they be training, how was training been going to this point, etc. There is one question I always ask, "What are you looking forward to the most?"
When I ask this, I find runners begin to open up and tell me their marathon hopes and dreams. They smile and talk about how they want to see the people, or how much they are looking forward to the challenge. Sometimes they tell me that they are looking forward to seeing their families at the end. What all of these answers surround is they are looking forward to the experience.
You can run any race, but I say, without question, the marathon experience is unique. You train so hard and long for it, and then the day arrives, and your anticipation is at an all time high. You are about to embark on an adventure, and you have no idea what will happen over the course of 26.2 miles.
All of my marathons have had their own story. There has been nothing the same about any of them. I take that back, there is one common thing - you run 26.2 miles. Other than that, you have no idea what will happen. You may see amazing things, or people. You may experience pure joy, or horrible heartache. Still there is a thrill of wondering what the unknown will be like on that particular day.
As people tell me what they are looking forward to, I see smiles. I see wonder. I see a runner getting ready to go for something they haven't done before. It makes my job all that more special.
Charlie
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