This past weekend was the 11th annual Run Ocean Isle Beach which hosted participants from 32 states across the US and from Germany. 40% of all participants were between the ages of 40 to 65 and almost 70% of all runners were female. There were options for the entire family with a Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and 1Mile and the weather was beautiful. There were over 100 volunteers on course and donations were made to Coastal Carolina Active Living, Christian Recovery Center, Combat Vets and the Lord’s Food Pantry. From start to finish the race course is the exact same for everyone. If you registered for the 10K you ran the same route and distance as everyone else in the 10K and the same for all the other distances. However, it’s the journey to the start line that is different for everyone, no two are exactly the same and for me, it’s where the touching and inspiring stories truly exist.
I love talking to runners and at the Expo for Run Ocean Isle Beach I had the pleasure of greeting our first vision impaired athlete who took on the half marathon distance and was paired with a guide through an organization called United in Stride. While it was incredible to cheer him across the finish line, the story of how he got started running and how it has both changed and enhanced his life are truly awe inspiring. I hope to be able to serve as a run guide sometime in the future and be those eyes to help get someone to the start line and then also the finish. This is definitely something we hope to see more of moving forward.
We also had a runner reach out a few days before the event about wanting to complete the one mile distance which was already sold out. A strong woman and athlete who has been in an ongoing and hard battle with cancer. She just needed to be there and of course, we said yes. We also celebrated with a man from Nebraska, who was running his 70th half marathon on his 70th birthday at Ocean Isle, he is someone who as truly embraced the journey.
These stories could go on and on, the race is not just about the finish line, it’s about the journey to the starting line, the preparation, the training and the anticipation of the starting gun. Today I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Bart Yasso, the creator of the Yasso 800’s and Mayor of the Running World, “Running is the ultimate faith healer, restoring belief not only in oneself but in all of life’s possibilities.”
Keep Moving Forward and I hope to see you at starting line soon!
Want to share your running story -let’s connect email me at jojo@coastalraceproductions.com