Running to remember 9-11

This is what I had to say before the start of a 5k race in Cheyenne this morning. A “grandma challenge” was also part of this race. I got to give every woman who beat me a medal!

                                                        Abby Elizabeth Arndt

I have a hero. Let me tell you a little about her. Since she’s a girl, maybe that means she’s a heroine. She is 23 years old and her name is Abby Elizabeth Arndt. She went to high school in Fort Collins, where I live.  A year ago she graduated from Colby College in Maine. After graduation she moved to Madrid, Spain where she spent a year teaching English. Now she is in New York City seeking her fortune.

I’ve known her since the day she was born. In fact I was there when she turned out to be a girl even though the ultra sound said something different. Her parents were very surprised.

When she applied for colleges and the application asked about interests, Abby wrote, “indoorsy.” She wasn’t much into sports, camping or hiking.

She tried to run a little when she was in high school. She tried a little more when she was in college but she got injured easily and soon gave up. After all, she was an “indoorsy” girl.

Something happened when she went to Spain. She began to run. And then she ran some more. She didn’t get injured. She ran with friends. She ran in the hills. And she got faster and faster.

On July 1, she came home. On July 4, she ran the 5k race in City Park in Fort Collins. Right before the race, I heard a rumor that she had decided that she was going to beat me. “Yeah, right,” I thought. “No way.”

Before I got to the first mile marker, Abby had passed me and I never saw her again until after the finish. She beat me by 22 seconds.

20-25 is a tough age group. She didn’t get a prize. 75-79 is a pretty easy one so I did get a prize, a really cool ceramic jar with the Statue of Liberty on it. I gave it to Abby.

Why is she my hero-ine? Because she stuck with her running when, for a very long time, she seemed to be going nowhere with it. I have a dozen grandkids and they are always making jokes about beating me. Three of the boys have been beating me big time for years. The other three don’t run much at all. Of my six granddaughters, Abby is the only one who’s beaten me. I couldn’t be happier.  Too bad she couldn’t be here today.

But there is another kind of heroism that is more quiet. That doesn’t show up when there’s a crisis, but rather is an ongoing kind of thing.  These heroes go about their business quietly, taking care of a sick friend or relative for as long as their help is needed. By sharing their expertise, their time and their money to see that something they believe in gets done, even when it looks pretty impossible.  By parenting with patience and wisdom when the job seems a never-ending one.

Every one of you lining up to start this race, is a hero. I mean it. I don’t care if you’ve never run a race before or if you’re shooting for a personal best, an overall win or an age-group medal, it takes guts to step out there and see what you can do in front of a whole herd. Maybe you’ve trained, and maybe you haven’t. If you get out there and run as hard as you can, you probably know that it’s going to hurt some.

This race honors the heroes of 9/11, many of whom lost heir lives on that awful day 15 years ago and others who are still suffering the consequences.

Let’s get out there and run. Good luck. And remember to act like a hero because you are one.

running to remember 9-11