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I'm running the Richmond Marathon on November 15, and what will keep me pounding the pavement during this run is the idea that I'm doing a small part to make the roads a safe place for runners, pedestrians, and cyclists. Please consider making a small donation on my behalf!
When I hung up my competitive track spikes upon graduating high school, many people asked when I'd run my first marathon. Precocious as ever, I said I would run when I was "old and slow" (so as not to lose my hard-earned "speed" from those gruelling 400m repeats). In my mind, I picked 26 as the age to complete my first 26.2. And as many of you know, I signed up for the Richmond marathon, happening next Saturday, November 15.
A lot has happened in the intervening years since high school,
although I refuse to acknowledge that I'm old, even by my 17-year-old
standards. It's been a while since I've lived in Richmond — the
sidewalks feel unfamiliar to my stride, I no longer know the fastest
shortcut to the trails — time has caused an inevitable drift from my
classmates and hometown.
Still, I was no less horrified by the news that one of my classmates had been killed in a
hit-and-run bike accident in 2012. She had been doing everything right
— wearing a helmet, using lights, riding on the right side — and
biking on a narrow road in a city unfriendly to cyclists was her only fault.
Most of you know I'm a big fan of walkable cities (NYC, holla).
I believe that every community should be safe for any type of
commuter. Cyclists (and pedestrians) should never have to
"justify" why they were using alternative forms of
transportation. The scary thing, when I think about it, is how lucky
I've been to have run safe all these years.
Right around the halfway point of the marathon, the course passes by the site where my classmate was struck. I would get a lot of support from knowing that I wasn't just running past, but running for something. Any donation of $5, $10, $15 would be greatly appreciated. Any money I raise through this site, I will double it and donate everything to Bike Walk RVA, a non-profit committing to improving bike- and pedestrian-infrastructure around Richmond.
Thank you! You can keep track of my pace on Saturday here — the race kicks off at 8:00am EST.
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