The third and final installment of this year’s series looked far different than last year’s. It was a more typical mid-november day in St. Albans, if there is such a thing. As opposed to last year’s sunny skies, cold temps, and ample snow that made it feel like a perfect february day, this year featured cloudy skies, but temperatures warm enough to comfortably run in shorts and a t-shirt. Even though the lack of early snow is a small disappointment to some skiers who have been spoiled the last couple years, the conditions were near perfect for those runners who loathe the heat and relish the opportunity to suck in that cool, crisp air while still running free from the restriction of cumbersome cold weather apparel.
40 runners took the start line today, with the usual wide variety of speed in the mix. A number of local high school runners came to utilize their good form from the running season before they make the transition into nordic ski training. It was great to see St. Albans Nordic board member Perry Bland make it out for the final race after he had to forgo the first two events to sell some of his fine produce at the local farmer’s market. A special shoutout to all those who attended all three races this year: Sara Heth, Brook Hodgeman, Melissa Seymour, Damian Bolduc, Jessica Bolduc, Bill Simmons, Scott Magnan, Kristofer Anderson, Jackson Sargent, Roy Sargent, Ashley Sargent, Deb Riopel, and Hillary Stine. All of you are All-Stars. It’s a shame the Westford Turkey Trot is not happening this year, those Westford hills would feel a lot easier after racing on the hills of Hard’ack.
This week’s course featured another new route. It was billed as a less hilly route than the previous two races, and it was to some extent, but it was not flat by any means. Still, if you had the energy left, you could punch up the shorter hills, and find time to recover before the next one. We got lots of positive feedback on this course, so be prepared to see it again next year!
I want to thank everyone who came out to race over the past weeks. It was very uplifting for me to be able to bring you all together for these events. I want to wrap up this series by trying to answer the question “Why do we run?” There are some obvious answers, like “It’s a healthy lifestyle”, or “It helps me clear my mind and reduce stress.” Those are perfectly good reasons to explain why an individual may run, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why WE run, why we show up to run together at a race like this. If you really think about it, to an outside observer, it’s extraordinarily odd for 40 people of such varying ages and abilities to put so much effort into congregating at one venue so they can put their body through pain and suffering while weaving through the woods and meadows with no apparent real purpose. Perhaps we just like to suffer, because suffering heals us and makes us stronger. Perhaps we’re competing to see who is the best, or how we measure up against the best or against our rivals. I would suggest there is another purpose, a subtle but important one that has only become clear to me recently. We run together for the same reason that we sing and dance and laugh together, to express ourselves and release our emotions through the art of running, to share a common bond with our fellow human beings, to experience the true humanity that brings meaning into our lives and helps us deal with the harsh realities of the world. To an outside observer, what we do may seem frivolous or pointless, and it may defy logic, but to me, and to many of you, it is an essential part of our existence.
Thank you all again, best wishes, and I hope to see you sooner rather than later.
Tyler Magnan