Tom and I recently traveled to suburban Maryland to attend the wedding of our nephew Will and his beautiful fiancé Amanda. Will’s family lives in Montgomery county, Maryland which is absolutely breathtaking this time of year.
Will is the older brother of our nephew, Ross. For those of you that don’t know, Ross died suddenly in November of 2015. As you can imagine, the death of a 19 year old healthy, young man is hard on a family.
Tom’s sister, Kim, took her overwhelming grief and started a running group in Ross’s honor. Ross loved to run. He loved to be surrounded by others giving all they had. He loved to encourage all those runners along the course. He loved life.
We decided to run a local race in Poolesville, Maryland. Both Will and Ross attended Poolesville High School, and Ross ran this exact course when he was 14! How cool is that?
Standing at the starting line surrounded by our family and friends wearing their “Running for Ross” t-shirts was emotional. I looked around and noticed we were engulfed by the Poolesville High School cross country team. Chills. So, so powerful.
The course wound through a classic Maryland neighborhood, still sleepy on a Saturday morning. A few families gathered on lawns and porches to cheer us on. Little kids ran out to give high fives. I’m sure Ross loved this race.
Right after the starting gun, I tucked in with a few of the CC girls. I recognized a couple as friends of Ross’s younger siblings. We laughed and joked until they saw their coach at the 1 mile mark, then they left me in the dust.
The first mile and a half had a fast downhill taper. The remainder of the race was a painful, slow, uphill climb back to the starting line. But the weather was great and the love was strong, so all we could do was finish with a smile. We were cheered in by family and friends. What an amazing race!
Tom and I felt right at home as we gathered around the finish line talking to the locals. This small town running club was very similar to ours. Everyone knew each other. They cheered each other on. And they all pitched in to help, on whatever level that might be, to ensure an enjoyable race for all.
Thanks SMRC for giving us a place to call home, and a place to share our running adventures! — Paula Korzeniewski