Hello LetsRun readers,
I'm writing this evening to start a "thread", a connection between this traveler and you. This traveler is heading to Daegu, South Korea, to cover the World T&F Championships and see a beautiful country, and he's quite excited for this journey. He's excited for the unexpected, the new acquaintances, the grand dramas, the exotic tastes and sights, the strenuous travel, a lengthy reunion with the character known as Wejo, and the wide-eyed athletes. Over the next few weeks, check back and leave your questions and notes as I hopefully will be able to make occasional comments in addition to our daily previews, news updates, interviews and recaps.
I want to start this first entry with a reminder of something many of us forget in our daily lives. LetsRun.com's slogan is "Where your dreams become reality." I couldn't imagine a better slogan, and I hope to use this opportunity to bring awareness to that slogan heading into Daegu. I hope to do my part to honor the deep meaning of that message whenever I contribute to LetsRun (and perhaps in every moment of my life).
So I'll start off by asking for the audience's input: how does this upcoming event factor into your dreams and your reality? What about this meet grabs your fancy? If the meet is a mirror for yourself, what do you think you might find?
In Daegu we'll see athletes, coaches, managers, organizers and fans converge from every corner of the globe. We'll see characters living out their dreams on a grand scale. Personally, I want to thank those who have made this event possible (from the looks of things, outside of some adventures booking housing, the meet and facilities have been superbly organized), and wish the athletes and all those connected to them a fantastic experience at the 9-day meet. Ultimately, like the fans, they're all battling with themselves, managing the peaks and valleys on the path to their own dreams becoming reality.
To get the discussion going, I'll offer some of my personal dreams and realities. In some ways this whole travel opportunity is a dream becoming a reality. When I was 14 I left my family and moved into a boarding school dorm room with a fellow 9th-grader. Keon Ho was from Seoul and we became lifetime friends. Over the years I've befriended dozens of Koreans, heard beautiful stories of their ancient legends, been welcomed into their homes and eaten their delicious food. To visit their country is a dream becoming a reality.
Another dream I have is seeing people from all over the world come together to compete creatively with each other and themselves. The colors, the fanfare, the grandeur, the unknown. I look forward to learning something about my own dreams and reality while I interact with this unusual event.
I've learned, in covering and competing in the few events that I have, that it's nearly impossible to predict the big story. The best example of this came when Wejo and I covered the New York City Marathon in 2010. As we sat and watched the race from the media center, from beginning to end, we at times wondered why we even needed to attend the event. Couldn't we just watch on TV?
When Haile G, one of Ethiopia's and the sport's great public figures, limped into the press room filled with emotion and announced his retirement, everyone realized they had witnessed (and you could really feel it) history. I could feel the powerful presence of Haile's emotions and being. We had no idea it was coming.
Another example comes from my competitive days. As I approached the 19-mile mark of the Philly Marathon, the two lead runners passed me, running in the opposite directions on the out-and-back section. They were over 2km's ahead of me, with several other runners in between. Well, at the finish, propelled by inspired training and the million other elements, I somehow ended up behind only one runner, as the final miles played out in a totally unexpected fashion. Soon I was shaking hands with the City of Brotherly Love's major, and getting a picture with the trophy next to the statue of Rocky, another dreamer.
I'm fascinated by the wild times we live in, and feel like we have such a gift and responsibility of involvement. I dream of exploring new depths while traveling and covering this meet. To the athletes and all others involved in the meet, I say, "let's enjoy the wildness of seeing dreams become reality". We don't know what's coming, and that's what makes it so fun.
To you, the reader, I say, "share your connection with this event." Perhaps you're just interested in the times, who wins, who loses, and perhaps you have a particular story line that fascinates you. Usain Bolt's apparent waning power... can he reconnect with "The Force?" Oscar P's engineered legs and unbelievable journey... could he end up winning a World medal? Caster Semenya, hounded by controversy, running on channeled anger, and carrying the support of Nelson Mandela... what will happen if she shocks the field again? Track and field as we know it... how is the sport changing, where does it fit into the uncertain world in which it exists? The diverse and talented American squad... how will the Zen leader Lananna push the little buttons to make the team click?
I know this writing is fanciful, childlike, wide-eyed. I sometimes wonder myself if I should perhaps take it down a notch. But sometimes I choose to let my eccentricity out, and share myself at my most energetically interesting moments. I know some parody and sarcasm and anonymous mob negativity will quickly follow. Or, as is more typical of my posts on these boards, silence! But so be it. At the present moment, my imagination is on fire, and with a touchdown in Daegu only hours away, I invite you to dream along.
Until next time,
Employee#1