Recently I wrote a novel about a 13 year-old who runs a 100-mile ultra-marathon. I know what you’re thinking: NoWAYcould a kid do that!
Wrong! An 11 year-old just ran 273 km – all the way across Prince Edward island!
Tyler Heggie
Prince Edward Islander, Tyler Heggie, spent seven days running the island from tip to tip. He covered the equivalent of a marathon each day, running with family and friends along the Confederation Trail.
Heggie did it to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research (his Mom was diagnosed with M.S. two years ago).
Heggie finishing his run with friends
Heggie has run long distances before. At age 9, he successfully competed in the Charlottetown marathon. Later this fall, he’s scheduled to run the marathon in Toronto – where roughly 20,000 fans (including me!) will be lined up to meet him.
Heroes are everywhere – in comic books, movies, and of course my novel. But real-life superheroes pop up in some pretty surprising places. Like the running track, or even the basketball court.
Check out this video that’s been making the rounds:
So often these days, sports stories have to do with money, or winning-at-all-costs, or banned substances (yeah, I’m looking at you, Lance Armstrong).
But that’s not the whole story. Here’s an entire football team of real-life superheroes:
It doesn’t take much to be heroic. You don’t need X-ray vision, or six-pack abs. All you need is a little kindness.
Take a look at the runners in these pictures. Can you tell what makes them all special?
First, there’s America’s Dick Beardsley (on the left):
Up next, Spain’s Fernandez Anaya (in green):
And finally, Ohio track star Meghan Vogel (blonde hair, on the right):
Any guesses? Yes, they’re all runners, and yes, they’re crazy fit. They probably run 100+ miles a week and eat nothing but salads and nuts. But these incredibly healthy human specimens have something much more interesting – and much more valuable – in common.
You’ve got fifteen seconds to figure it out. Tick tick tick tick tick…TIME’S UP!
ANSWER: All of these runners are real-life superheroes. They’re not only fast. They’re also super kind.
Take Meghan Vogel. She was competing in her third race of the day. Ahead of her, a runner crumpled to the ground in the heat. But instead of dashing past her, she lifted her up, helped her to the finish line, and literally pushed her across the finish line.
Fernandez Anaya (the guy in the green shirt) was equally generous. He was running second in his race, a ways behind the race leader, Abel Mutai. As he entered the finishing straight, Fernandez noticed Mutai pull up about 10 metres before the finish line. Mutai thought he’d crossed the finish line, BUT HE HADN’T! He still had 30 feet left to go!
Instead of racing past Mutai for the win, Fernandez slowed down and gestured at him to keep running. He literally helped the OTHER guy win.
Which brings me to the black and white photo of Dick Beardsley at the top. Dick was running the very first London marathon in 1981. He and Norway’s Inge Simonsen spent the race battling for first place. In the finishing stretch, instead of trying to prove who was better than the other, the athletes clasped hands and crossed the finish line together.
How awesome is that? They acknowledged they were evenly matched, and split the first place prize two ways.
Someone should show these videos to Lance Armstrong.
And I’ll start it off with a question. Is it really possible for a 13 year-old to run a 100-mile race?
I get that question all the time, since that’s what my book is about: a kid who runs the longest of ultra-marathons in an attempt to outrun a tragic family secret.
Is such a thing actually possible?
HECK YEAH!
Of course, I don’t actually know any 13 year-olds who have successfully completed a 100-mile race. But it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they had. Kids are capable of ANYTHING. There are kids out there who’ve run multiple marathons, and kids who have swum across great lakes.
And then there’s Conner and Cayden Long, who take the word inspiration to a whole new level:
Whether you’re a runner looking for inspiration, or a writer looking for a story, this post may just help you out…
The Boston Marathon takes place on Monday. I won’t be running it this year, which breaks my heart. That race is more fun than…jeez…a barrel of monkeys? A trampoline of hamsters? A terrarium of Bearded Dragons?
It’s crazy fun, that’s what it is.
My favourite Boston memory? Hmmm, let’s see…
One time I found myself running alongside a heavyset man. He was running at a fast clip, which was amazing, considering that he was pushing a weird wheelchair/stroller contraption. A young man was reclined in the stroller, and he was grinning at the huge crowds that had gathered on both sides of the road. Everyone went ballistic as these two guys passed by. It was like they were rock stars or something.
That was six years ago. It’s one of the great regrets of my life that I HAD NO IDEA who Rick and Dick Hoyt were. But I know who they are now. As do millions and millions of others.
They aren’t rock stars, of course. They’re something much better. They’re a father and a son, and more importantly – A TEAM. And they’re a reminder of the good that any of us can do in this world:
Believe me, it’s worth the plane fare to Boston – just to cheer these two heroes on.
Take a look at the runners in these pictures. Can you tell what makes them all special?
First, there’s America’s Dick Beardsley (on the left):
Up next, Spain’s Fernandez Anaya (in green):
And finally, Ohio track star Meghan Vogel (blonde hair, on the right):
Any guesses? Yes, they’re all runners, and yes, they’re crazy fit. They probably run 100+ miles a week and eat nothing but salads and nuts. But these incredibly healthy human specimens have something much more interesting – and much more valuable – in common.
You’ve got fifteen seconds to figure it out. Tick tick tick tick tick…TIME’S UP!
ANSWER: All of these runners are real-life superheroes. They’re not only fast. They’re also super kind.
Take Meghan Vogel. She was competing in her third race of the day. Ahead of her, a runner crumpled to the ground in the heat. But instead of dashing past her, she lifted her up, helped her to the finish line, and literally pushed her across the finish line.
Fernandez Anaya (the guy in the green shirt) was equally generous. He was running second in his race, a ways behind the race leader, Abel Mutai. As he entered the finishing straight, Fernandez noticed Mutai pull up about 10 metres before the finish line. Mutai thought he’d crossed the finish line, BUT HE HADN’T! He still had 30 feet left to go!
Instead of racing past Mutai for the win, Fernandez slowed down and gestured at him to keep running. He literally helped the OTHER guy win.
Which brings me to the black and white photo of Dick Beardsley at the top. Dick was running the very first London marathon in 1981. He and Norway’s Inge Simonsen spent the race battling for first place. In the finishing stretch, instead of trying to prove who was better than the other, the athletes clasped hands and crossed the finish line together.
How awesome is that? They acknowledged they were evenly matched, and split the first place prize two ways.
Someone should show these videos to Lance Armstrong.
somewhere to share my experience related to gear, races, and training. Posts are mainly focused on sports such as road and trail running, ultramarathon racing, cycling, and multisport.
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