The runners loped down the wooded path and then made a hard right into the open. It's the last 200 yards, so everybody kicks it up a notch and preens for the crowd. They don't realize it, but this group is a little different. In the back of the pack is a young strider who, even after 6 miles, is still enjoying every second of his time on the course. He's having a great time, because for the last hour he has been truly free of the stress and anxiety that seem to be his constant shadow.
His parents, standing about 50 yards from the finish line, see him emerge from the trees and lift their cameras. They soon lower them as the crowd starts to cheer. Looking around for the object of the crowd's enthusiasm, these parents suddenly realize that everyone is cheering for their son; he's flying! It's a footrace to the finish line, and his heads up, his stride long, and his look determined. Belatedly they join in the cheers and urge him on; stopping only when he crosses the finish line in the lead. His mother runs to find him and congratulate him, and his father turns away, needing to, as he says, 'get it together'. As he walks away, someone in the crowd says, "That was awesome!"..... "Yes,.. he is." the father answers quietly as he utters a silent prayer of gratitude for scout leaders who introduced his son to running, teachers and coaches who understand the power of simple encouragement, and a bishop who cares.
With the staggered start, he wasn't really racing the others in his group; it's more of a race against the clock. That didn't matter. What mattered was that a young man heard the crowd and gained a glimpse of his potential.
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That's awesome.
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