On a cold, cloudy Saturday, I ran for Sherry Arnold.
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I met up with friends Kris, Yonas and Merhawi at Teddy Roosevelt Island parking lot. We pinned on our bibs, talked about Sherry, and started our run in her memory.
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| Yonas, Kris, Me and Merhawi |
As we ran, we chatted, but Sherry was in my thoughts. I thought about her family and friends. About how unfair it was that a morning run ended in tragedy. I thought of how much it sucks that women still, and always will, have to worry about their safety. There's no way to guarantee that something bad won't happen to us, even if we never leave the safety of our home.
I decided that being friendly, open and trusting is better than living in fear.
I took a moment to offer up my gratitude to people like Sherry -- women, teachers, mentors, runners -- who have had a positive and lasting impact on the lives of others.
I thought about what Sherry's cousin Beth (Shut Up and Run) said about this run: "Despite the circumstances that will bring us together, smile because we
are collectively doing something that symbolizes compassion and
connectedness."
I was glad to share these miles for with friends. It was comforting and reassuring and life-affirming.
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| Kris and I, post-run |
Awesome that you got a group together to run for Sherry. I can't even imagine how many people went out and dedicated their runs to her tho weekend.
ReplyDeleteKir - thanks for suggesting we Run for Sherry this past Saturday. I had read about the virtual run in her memory on Twitter and Facebook but probably would have missed the date had you not brought the bibs with you. It is amazing how something so tragic can unite runners all across the country for someone we never met. I truly believe runners are a part of a giant, caring family and when something happens to one of us, we're all impacted. I hope her friends and family find some peace and comfort through all of this.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Thank you for being a part of this day for Sherry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute, and what a great way to find something positive in the ugliness of a tragedy. Running serves so many important purposes—perhaps none more so than processing emotions, positive, negative and everything in between.
ReplyDeleteIt is cool that you ran with a group for Sherry. We did the same here in Tallahassee, Florida. Runners are incredible when gathered around a cause.
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