GOD'S RACE:
A MESSAGE FOR RUNNERS FROM
MUD MOUNTAIN RACE DIRECTOR TOM ATWOOD
Mud Mountain:
Mud Mountain:
Running the way God intended--on grass.
Say no to asphalt.
Say yes to the Mud Mountain 5K Cross Country Classic:
God's race.
--rejected marketing campaign
for Mud Mountain XIII
I ran the course yesterday evening, careful to check its condition just a couple of days before the 2008 Mud Mountain 5K. A gentle rain was falling, misting the grass. The course was actually shimmering, even in the dim light of low rain clouds. Fallen mimosa blossoms occasionally carpeted the 2nd mile where it begins its endless incline; a Monarch butterfly circled me for a moment as I plodded along, wildflowers lining each side of the path.
A perfect evening for running, I thought, hoping this is what it might be like on race-day morning. But, the weather forecast suggests a warmer start when the running begins at 8:30 am on Saturday—temperatures in the low 80s, humid after a good chance of showers the night before. In fact, this year Mud Mountain may actually live up to its mysterious name. The steep hill on the third mile seems unlikely to dry out, and is almost certain to be truly, deeply muddy by the time 500 pairs of running shoes negotiate its climb.
I love this course. Green. Hilly. Almost tropical, in a summery, hazy, Midwestern kind of way. My kids have grown up running Mud Mountain. Riley was a half-foot shorter than me when he first ran here as a 6th-grader seven years ago. Now, on Saturday, he’ll duck to dodge delicate vines hanging down from Mud Mountain’s trees and shrubs. This is where he won his last home cross-country meet as a senior, the Tiger Finale. His younger sister, Ellen, has struggled with this course, like many runners, although she still has two years left to figure out how to run it.
But on Saturday, there is nothing to figure out, no real pressure. The Mud Mountain 5K Classic is a chance, once each year, to run the course for no reason other than to have fun. To take part in a celebration of running with other people who love to run, or at least who love to hate to run.
Do me a favor. Before you line up for the start of the race on July 26, look closely at the faces of the others gathered there. Old. Young. Very young. Look at the smiles. There is only one reason they are there—to run with others who enjoy running, or at least with others who enjoy hating to run.
On Saturday, only a few will be running to win Mud Mountain. Most of us will be running for other reasons. These days, I run mainly to keep moving. For those of you who are like me, I have this request: please be careful. The course will probably be slippery at that time of day, rain or no rain. Prepare for the heat. Each year, someone requires medical assistance due to summer’s temperatures and humidity. Drink the free water. Gobble up the free oranges, apples and bananas. But most of all, look around and take in the beauty of this moment. The beauty of doing something you love to do in a setting that is as lovely as any other 5K course in the area, a course that could have been—and, perhaps in a way, was—designed by God.
Enjoy God’s race.
A perfect evening for running, I thought, hoping this is what it might be like on race-day morning. But, the weather forecast suggests a warmer start when the running begins at 8:30 am on Saturday—temperatures in the low 80s, humid after a good chance of showers the night before. In fact, this year Mud Mountain may actually live up to its mysterious name. The steep hill on the third mile seems unlikely to dry out, and is almost certain to be truly, deeply muddy by the time 500 pairs of running shoes negotiate its climb.
I love this course. Green. Hilly. Almost tropical, in a summery, hazy, Midwestern kind of way. My kids have grown up running Mud Mountain. Riley was a half-foot shorter than me when he first ran here as a 6th-grader seven years ago. Now, on Saturday, he’ll duck to dodge delicate vines hanging down from Mud Mountain’s trees and shrubs. This is where he won his last home cross-country meet as a senior, the Tiger Finale. His younger sister, Ellen, has struggled with this course, like many runners, although she still has two years left to figure out how to run it.
But on Saturday, there is nothing to figure out, no real pressure. The Mud Mountain 5K Classic is a chance, once each year, to run the course for no reason other than to have fun. To take part in a celebration of running with other people who love to run, or at least who love to hate to run.
Do me a favor. Before you line up for the start of the race on July 26, look closely at the faces of the others gathered there. Old. Young. Very young. Look at the smiles. There is only one reason they are there—to run with others who enjoy running, or at least with others who enjoy hating to run.
On Saturday, only a few will be running to win Mud Mountain. Most of us will be running for other reasons. These days, I run mainly to keep moving. For those of you who are like me, I have this request: please be careful. The course will probably be slippery at that time of day, rain or no rain. Prepare for the heat. Each year, someone requires medical assistance due to summer’s temperatures and humidity. Drink the free water. Gobble up the free oranges, apples and bananas. But most of all, look around and take in the beauty of this moment. The beauty of doing something you love to do in a setting that is as lovely as any other 5K course in the area, a course that could have been—and, perhaps in a way, was—designed by God.
Enjoy God’s race.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How many runners have pre-registered for Mud Mountain XIII?
Entries received today: 55 (19 online, 34 Bipod registration, 2 mail in)
Total registrations to date: 401
No comments:
Post a Comment