At the Princess Half, there was a women who fell and broke her shoulder pretty early on in the race. There were several runners who stayed by her side for a good 30 minutes until they she was taken away in an ambulance. They risked not making the minimum time. They risked being passed by the dreaded balloon lady! 30 minutes is a considerable time in an event hat has a strict cut-off...and yet, they did it without hesitation.
You know, this type of compassion is typical of runners...more so than any other sport. While we are all out there to compete, we are truly competing with ourselves, since the 99.99999% of runners will never be 1st in a half marathon and have no expectations of that. So, we have the benefit of waving to others while we run, nodding our heads as a greeting, and being nightengales on the side of a road, as in the case of the Princess half...because we are kindred spirits towards each others' successes, not obstacles to each others' success.
It's probably one of the biggest reasons that I love running, and group runs even more. No matter who you are or even if you are a complete stranger, we all look out for each other. That's a heart-warming story, altho I feel sorry for the poor lady who broke her shoulder.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that her name is Sherry, and she is back in Savannah now. Fractured humerus between shoulder and elbow. Recovery will be 8 weeks. "Just in time for Nashville" she said to a friend....so it's not deterring her from running a big race soon!
ReplyDeleteI hope she has a speedy recovery!