Vermont City Marathon, The Best Weekend of the Year
Ah, marathon weekend. In the many years since I ran my first race at Vermont City Marathon, my feelings for this weekend have morphed and evolved but always remained strong. That first year was an egocentric maelstrom of doubt and triumph. The next year, a slow but joyful victory lap. In the years since, I’ve run on relay teams with friends through heat and near-disaster, and through incredible joy and celebration. Over time, my focus has shifted away from fixating on how I’ll perform in the race itself, to embracing the whole weekend as massive festival of all the things and people that I love best about Vermont. So when race weekend is already a bubble of unblemished happiness, how could it get better?
Enter Meb.
The Meb, THAT Meb. The one and only Mebrahtom Keflezighi.
He of the slight frame and swift feet. He of the storied comebacks from injury, winner of Boston, of New York City and of an Olympic medal. He who inspires fans and competitors alike to be better runners, to be better people.
At this year’s VCM, Meb was the star attraction, the race ambassador, the invited guest. And I was his star-eyed, gobsmacked chauffeur. It is a miracle I didn’t crash the car in the dopamine haze of being in his reflected glory all weekend.
There is a risk when one allows oneself the vulnerability of idolizing a hero. No one is perfect, and too many who live in the spotlight disappoint us when their venality and true disposition seep through the cracks. And really, even the good guys don’t deserve the pressure of being perfect, of never putting a foot wrong. It’s unfair to ask and the resulting letdown is predictable.
And yet I emerged from three days with Meb with my idealism intact. His schedule at VCM was no joke: hours of public appearances, thousands of handshakes and high fives and crowds of people clamoring for his attention, for a few seconds to build into a lifelong memory of that time I met Meb -- remember?
I watched him captivate an auditorium full of people with his story of escaping Eritrea and becoming a professional runner; he transformed even the distracted little kids and too cool adults into slack-jawed fans. I watched runners who should have been resting their feet before a marathon wait an hour in line for his signature and a good luck hug. I watched runners cross the finish line wasted by their effort but who suddenly revived at the sight of Meb standing there congratulating them on the race. I watched the energy radiating from him as he gave focused attention to each person. Quick with a smile and joke, full of respect, gratitude and joy.
It wasn’t an act. He’s the real deal.
And as he readily points out, it’s not a one-man effort. Meb was accompanied by his manager John, and I was working with another ultra-awesome VCM volunteer, Chris. And all of this was held together by the unmatched talents of Jess Cover, marketing manager of RunVermont and my friend and running mentor. Marketers, especially those who work for non-profits, will tell you it’s easy to sell a product you believe in. Jess believes in the transformative power of running, and that is so deeply evident in how she communicates with runners and the community about all of RunVermont’s events - especially VCM. Watching the entire RunVermont team pull together this massive enterprise is an awesome sight to behold. Plus, they let me hang with Meb and called it “work.” It is sooo easy to love that team.
Race weekend is a time I always look forward to and it never disappoints, even when the miles are tough or weather is terrible. The friendships and community I’ve formed through running are a constant source of joy and encouragement. But this particular race weekend was even more memorable thanks to the special vantage point I was given.
[Vermont City Marathon: May 25-27, 2018]