Fun Cheering/Volunteering At Race

I’ve written about how we athletes should take time to volunteer or (at least) cheer at events in which we don’t participate. I swallowed some of my own medicine yesterday . . . and it tasted pretty good!

With my recent knee problems, running in the 10-mile Capital Pursuit event didn’t seem like such a great idea. However, a number of my friends were running, so I hopped on my bike and rode along the route cheering and helping other runners.

After a few stops for cheers, applause and encouragement, a woman approached me and said, “My name is Theresa and I just want to thank you for the shout-outs.” Running into her at the end of the race and chatting, it was great to learn how much my encouragement efforts were appreciated.

Along the way I encountered a gentleman hunched over who appeared to be “dry heaving”. After asking if he needed assistance, he quickly bounced up and started running again. He turned his head and said, “I’ll be fine!” I kept an eye on him for about a mile and he looked to be true to his word.

The weather could not have been better. It was truly a fun way to feel as though I was still participating in an event in which I could unfortunately not compete.