Dear Friends and Family:
I am writing to let you all know the outcome of your support for my run in the Napa Valley Marathon on March 1, 2009, in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
First, and most important, due to last minute donations by the Kralik and Conroy families, the total money raised by my sponsors rose to $5,100, exceeding all my goals. For a complete list of all my generous contributors, please check back at the web site:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/napa09/jkralik
I was running with over 90 other Team in Training runners, and together we raised $460,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society from this event.
The marathon was a chance for me to get away for the weekend to Napa, and be part of the interesting and growing culture that surrounds the running of marathons.
On Saturday afternoon, the day before the marathon, I picked up my number and other accoutrements, including Gu[1], energy beans, and three or four kinds of analgesic for aching muscles. Kaiser Permanente, the lead sponsor of the event, helpfully established a booth at the sign-in exposition where you could find out the age of your lungs. For some, this was a confidence builder. I felt a little worried after being told that I had the lungs of a 66 year old man, but hey, I knew they were old. “Anything I can do about that?” I asked. “Well, you’ll need to work a little harder tomorrow” was the answer.
The worries continued with the news that it would be raining the next morning. Team in Training arranged a great dinner, and its coaches pumped us up with messages like “No wimps!” and “Go Team.” One of the coaches assured us that “the human body is waterproof,” while pouring water over his head to demonstrate the concept. Just in case we felt our bodies might need some help in this regard, we were provided with 30-gallon trash bags to put on over our running gear.
Our day began as 4:30 wake up calls rang throughout the hotel. At 5:15 we boarded school busses that carried us 26 miles north on the Silverado Trail. By 5:45, we were at the start line, but most of us stayed in the busses until just before the start at 7:00 a.m., as the rain was coming down steadily.
The rain would continue most of the day as we wound through the valley. Even in the rain, Napa is undeniably gorgeous, with its rolling hills, and endless vineyards. The vines were barren and black and a little spooky in the rain. I tried not to think of the warmth of the tasting rooms in the many vineyards and wineries we passed.
After the first couple miles, I formulated my goal of the day: I decided I would try to beat every novelty runner—you know the ones with the elaborate costumes and placards that weigh more that they do. I’m not sure I accomplished that goal, but I stayed ahead of most of them.
I was surprised by how marathon running is a way of life for many of the people I met. I still look at it as an aberrant lark, something a little bit crazy. After all, the first guy who did one of these things died. Yet some people said they had run over a hundred marathons, and one guy even claimed he had run 500 marathons. One guy who was running at about my speed had run a marathon just a week before in Austin, Texas.
Some of the reasons for this behavior:
“Gives me something to do.”
“Keeps me out of trouble.”
“I can eat anything I want.”
“Keeps me from being depressed.”
While I have enjoyed being in better shape, I’m not sure if these reasons are enough for me to become a permanent member of this culture. A 13 or even 15 mile run can leave you tired, but exuberant. A twenty six mile run leaves you feeling like your knees are 99 years old.
At about mile 16, I started running with a couple of other Team in Training runners from the Bay area, and together we kept our spirits up through the wall. Around the 22d mile, we talked about the people we were running the marathon for, and for each of us it was a reminder that it was worth going on. A marathon is so long that you can meet people and become good friends, and form a bond of shared experience. Jessie and Raj are now friends, and I will always value the encouragement they gave me during those last few miles, and indeed even over the last 100 yards when I knew I could finish and wanted to go faster, but just couldn’t.
I finished at 5 hours and 19 minutes. Not great, but ok for a person my age running through a steady rain. While the rain was steady, the temperature was in the 50’s and most of us did not catch a chill. I ripped the trash bag off after about 18 miles so I would look good in the pictures. At least the shirt looked good in the pictures, even though like every part of me, it was really, really wet.
The runner for a charity is really just a symbol. In my case, the run was symbolic of the caring hearts and generosity of all of my sponsors. These are difficult times, and every dollar spent is scary. Yet my friends were as generous and giving as ever. For me this was reminder that I have been blessed to know a group of truly wonderful people. Members of the Kralik and Conroy family, my partner Lois Jacobs, and everyone at Kralik and Jacobs all gave of their time as well as their funds to support this run.
Thank you for your support. I was privileged to be a symbol of your generosity and care for the persons who are suffering from leukemia and lymphoma.
All the best,
John
[1] This is a sugary, caffeinated substance somewhat like cake frosting, which is ingested during the run.