Chasing Rainbows

Last Saturday morning I ran a 5K race. Actually, it wasn't really a race, it was a fun run. Most of the organized runs I do are billed as fun runs or run/walks. This particular race drew a few thousand participants, many in costume. The race began by crossing the Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis. It's a beautiful place to run, but the bridge is considerably narrower than the street, where everyone lines up at the start. Traffic jams are inevitable. The situation is often exacerbated by large costumes. But, hey, it's a fun run.

I've run this event in the past and I like it for a couple of reasons. First, I enjoy seeing the costumes. There are some pretty creative folks out there. I would never consider running in a costume myself, but I admire those who do. It's not that I have anything against costumes, it's just that I feel like I'm on the edge of being able to complete the run as it is. I once had a bad run because the collar on my T-shirt felt weird. I can't imagine how poorly I would do if I were in a gorilla suit.

I admire the costumes, but I also make mental notes of any that I want to avoid at the starting gate. As I mentioned, the race start is very congested, wide or multiple person costumes only make things worse. On Saturday, there was one group that I noticed in particular. It was comprised of two fellows in leprechaun outfits and their buddy dressed as a rainbow. The rainbow arched out on each side, like monstrous shoulders. Alone, he took up the space of three people. I decided it would be best to line up either beside or in front of him.

As we gathered for the start of the race, I lost sight of the rainbow. I chose a spot in the middle of the pack and kept watch. Too late, I noticed the rainbow and his friends near the front of the group on my side of the street. They appeared to be drinking beer as they waited for the race to start. The street was packed and I had no choice but to stay where I was. The race was started. Everyone took four steps forward and compressed the crowd. Eventually, I was able to start again, walking at first.

As I moved along, I forgot about the rainbow. I remembered the other reason why I liked this race, the crowd. Normally, I'm not a crowd person - I find crowded parties absolutely draining. But, I love running in a crowd. I enjoy dodging around other runners, looking for open gaps. The crowd is like a gentle tide, pushing me along to the finish. Gradually, the field opened up as the faster runners stretched out ahead. Even so, I ran the entire race with people around me and it was nice.

About half way through the race I spotted the rainbow ahead of me. My immediate thought was "I am not going to get beaten by a rainbow and a couple of drunk leprechauns". It was a hot day and I was feeling exhausted - this was just the motivation I needed. I fixed my gaze on them and matched their speed for a short distance. Then I quickened my pace, ever so slightly. Slowly, painfully slowly, I was gaining on them.

As I mentioned, this is a fun run. The race is sponsored by an Irish pub and your registration fee also entitles you to a couple of beers. The beer is available at finish line or at a beer garden set up about 3K into the course. I was just making my move to overtake the rainbow when he and his buddies veered into the beer garden. I marched on, semi-triumphantly.

Focusing on the rainbow had been such a nice distraction. It helped get me through a difficult time when my body wanted to quit. But now, here I was in the final phase of the run and suddenly once again aware of my aching legs. I scanned the crowd looking for someone, anyone I could latch onto and keep pace with. Too many of the people around me looked too fit - I feared I would not be able to keep up with them. Finally, I spotted an old guy with a few extra pounds - my clone. I came up within a few yards of him and then matched his pace. We ran like that for almost 2 kilometers, sure and steady. Then, with about 100 meters to go I saw the finish line. I broke into as much of a sprint as I could muster, passing my pace-clone. He made a token attempt to run with me but then dropped back to his former pace. I crossed the finish line utterly exhausted.

Later, as I was waiting in line for food, a woman approached me and asked me if I knew my finish time. It turns out she had been running just behind me for the last part of the race. I had been so focused on the guy in front of me but it hadn't occurred to me that someone could be using me for the same purpose.