Running Community is an ‘Unofficial Brotherhood and Sisterhood’

Share below why you love running.

On any given day when I see runners along Sandy Springs streets, I feel a kinship. That same connection is felt by runners worldwide for Boston marathoners, spectators, family members, work crews and first responders after the explosions on Monday.

Big Peach Running Co. held a Mile of Silence run at several locatons on Tuesday.

I’ve run four marathons and a half marathon. After each one I said I was done. I don’t need to do this anymore! But I was fooling myself because each one hooks you.

It’s not just the feat of running 26.2 miles. For me, it’s also the people cheering you on, ringing cowbells and clapping when you want to give up saying, “You can do it! Great job, great job!” It’s neighborhood residents handing you treats to keep you going or urging you to conquer that long torturous hill; and of course, family members meeting you at strategic points along the course.

[Reports said there were 500,000 spectators lining Boston streets before the explosions.]

Some folks have a real dislike for running, but for real enthusiasts it’s a love for the sport that remains in your blood after those very first miles. 

A few marathoners below say why they run.

Stephanie Dean disliked running as a child.

Stephanie Dean, who lives in Roswell, ran the Chicago Marathon in 2000 after four and a half months of training, including sometimes 3:30 a.m. runs. Even so, Dean said she worried that she might not have what it would take to finish the race.

On race day, Dean ran the first 14 miles pretty easily and then her confidence and energy started to wane.

“By the time I hit mile 22, I sat down to quit,” she recalled. “But I sat down near a water station, and one of the volunteers came over and said in a drill sergeant way something like, ‘Not at my water station. You can rest here for a minute, but you can’t quit. Dig down deep, find your source and get up and keep going four more miles.’ And I did. It was the proudest accomplishment of my life.”

Dean currently runs about three miles a day. "Now I find peace in it, instead of struggle. It is time and energy that I dedicate to myself. Time to think of everything, and then think of nothing. I know that life is right for at least this moment. And there is just no better feeling than the energy and lightness after a full sweat and shower, knowing that the day is on track. When I am able to complete my daily run, life is good," she said.

Carla DiGiovanni became a runner after struggling with childhood Arthritis.

Carla DiGiovanni participates in the annual Arthritis Walk in Sandy Springs and ran a half marathon, last year.

“[Running] gives me balance between gratitude and my health, and working towards a goal,” said DiGiovanni. “It’s an analogy for life. That’s why it bothers me so much about Boston because you’re together [as one] when you do a race like that. It’s being a part of community that values their health but values setting goals and doing whatever you need to attain them.”

John Murchison II was first revved and inspired as a marathon spectator.

My nephew, John Murchison II, caught the running bug after cheering me on at the first ING Georgia Marathon in 2007. He has run five half marathons since then and the Boston Marathon has been one of his goals.

“Running gives me a feeling of accomplishment and it makes me feel better about myself,” he said. “The camaraderie that I feel when running in a group is special and that's why a day like Monday really hurts me. I didn't know these people, but they feel like my brothers and sisters. Running is an unofficial brotherhood and sisterhood. I will continue to pray for my brothers and sisters this week.”

Are you a runner? Tell us why you love running in the comments below?

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