The First 26.2

I recently ran the Country Music Marathon, my first, and learned so much about running and learned some lessons about life along the way, and why running is the greatest the sport out there. You must know that when you start the weekend by meeting running legend Frank Shorter, good things are going to happen.
The pouring rain at the porta potties near the start line could not even dampen my spirits the morning of the race. The crowd was great and turned out in huge numbers despite the weather, well at least on the front half of the race. The back 13 was a different story, and it was during those 13 miles that I learned about myself and others.
Because 20,000 of the 30,000 of us out there were running only the half, the crowd thinned out quite noticeably once you kept heading straight passed the turn off. It was during these miles that I had to push myself to ignore the fatigue and to remember all my training, that and what a 6:30 mile feels like. Something that I managed to do quite well up until I tripped and fell at mile 19. I hurt my knee enough for it to swell up and bleed a little bit. My spirit was crushed, but not my will.
As I approached the last couple of miles, it was all I could do to put one foot in front of another, and it was then that I realized why running is truly a sport for the greatest members of humanity. With every runner that passed me up, they complimented me and encouraged me on. There was no snickering, mocking, or unfriendliness. Each one of us were suffering, plodding our way to a 3:25 marathon and there was not a person who was not needing to stretch every 100 yards or so, but still they managed a breath or two to encourage me.
In a society where everyone is out to get one another, and get ahead the other guy, it was amazing to see such a great showing of human spirit. No one cared who I supported politically, or which church I went to on Sundays. We were all united in a common bond, and that bond was crossing the finish line, and helping each other do it, not matter what.