Run, baby, run

Another year gone by, another Sun Run missed.

Vancouver’s annual 10-kilometre jaunt/jog/sprint/crawl happened April 21st before I was fully aware that it was April. I was too busy executing an international marathon myself via train, plane, and automobile. It’s much less gruelling than it sounds; I was merely navigating my way from Greece back to England in a blissed-out stupor, the kind that can only come from several days spent remotely in sand, sun, and surf.

I’m too relaxed to write. Somebody should stop me. It’s exam time for other people, though, so I should show some sympathy stress. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some mediocre writing out of the way either, before tackling topics like terrorism, Taliban, and Tunisia.

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This post is dedicated to my dear Aunt Eleanore: One of the nine people who read my blog, and a woman who, in the marathon of life, keeps a steady pace, her head held high, and an enthusiasm for living. She’s a remarkable person for many reasons, not just because she participates in the Sun Run every year at the spry age of 98.

In a few short months, she’ll add another year to the tally. She should really be acknowledged with her own special category, but as it is, she’s the only woman in the race’s F95+ class despite nearly surpassing the minimum age by four years. 

What’s even more incredible, though, is that she’s not just the female participant with the most life experience: She actually beat 4109 other female participants. Her time was better than the times of just over 16 percent of the other women racing. She’s a fast one, that Aunty Eleanore. And while there’s no way of knowing whether the others were just slow or lazy or quitters or late-sleepers, El beat them all with pace, persistence, and the preparation of a well-timed alarm clock (or finely-tuned internal alarm). 

From someone who has never once mustered the energy to even register for the run, I can’t quite express how much I admire this woman, and how proud I am to call her my Aunt.

Cheers from Northern England, all the way to the North Shore.