The Real Reason Why I Love Running

Over the years I must have read a million blog posts and magazine articles on why we runners do what we do, and why we love to do it.  Runner's World is big on these types of motivational tidbits, and lately it has surfaced on two blogs I read regularly - RunWestchester and Never Quit, Never Stop.

Everyone has their own reasons, and a lot of the reasons are the same no matter who you ask - "I eat whatever I want", "It helps me relieve stress", and "It's my social time" are three recurring themes.  I agree with all of these.  I also agree that there are more reasons than can be readily listed, and that the reasons change every day, so it's often not a meaningful question to ask.

But yesterday, as I was sitting in an ice bath and reading the latest copy of RW, the truth dawned on me.  I love running because I love underdog stories. 

You see, this was the issue of RW with the big picture of Meb on the front. Meb, who took silver in the 2004 Olympic marathon, and became the first American to medal since 1972.  Meb, who collapsed in pain at the finish line of the Olympic Trials in 2007, having run the last 6 miles with a broken hip, only to find out his good friend Ryan Shay had died. Meb, who spent the following 18 months in physical therapy, facing racism ("He's not American enough"), facing his own doubts, and facing his potential retirement. And Meb, who finished the 2009 NYC Marathon with his arms held high, flashing a USA singlet and a huge grin, as he became the first American to win it since 1982.  Meb, who was not the favorite, but overcame his own setbacks and overcame Robert Cheruiyot to break the tape in his home country.

This is just one example.  The sport is literally loaded with stories like this.

In international competitions, American runners are the underdogs.  So even superheroes like Meb, Ryan Hall, and Deena Kastor have to step up to the line of each race knowing they're the long shots.  Add to that the fact that every race is full of cancer survivors, heart attack victims, blind runners, and runners missing one or both legs.  They line up with everyone else knowing that their participation, if not their survival, was a long shot.

And every runner, no matter their skill level or how hard they trained, has to toe the line knowing that there's a non-zero probability they won't make it to the finish; that the chances of a human running 26.2 miles without incident are a long shot.  They have to fight back the elements, fight back excruciating pain, and fight back all those little voices that pop up in the final miles of the race; the ones telling them to stop, and telling them it won't matter if they ease up juuust a little bit.  And they have to fight the fact that no matter how hard they push, there's still the chance a hamstring or a calf gives out and there's no choice but to give up.

It's that struggle against the odds that appeals to me.  From Average Joe quitting smoking and signing up for his first 5k, all the way up to the greatest runners in the world risking life and limb for the world record, everyone has to beat the odds to come out on top. 

In running, everybody is an underdog.  And who doesn't love an underdog story?

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- Jake