November 2013. I crossed the finish line in Savannah, GA. The call for medics near the finish line came over the intercom. I thought nothing. It was a race. Bodies break down. Little did I know, my life was about to be forever changed. I would later find out the call was for Erin’s late husband, Jake.
April 2014. In PT school I had student insurance, just enough coverage to pay for generic prescriptions and preventive care visits. I was beginning to love running and sign up for more races. This also meant more challenging training and demand on my cardiovascular system. I wanted confirmation I was healthy, mainly my heart, and that training for longer distances would not cause me harm. Turns out echocardiograms are really expensive when your University does not offer the service. Thankfully, I signed up for a race (Heart and Sole). A local hospital was offering echos at $50 for runners. The imaging would be performed by a student in training and results would be sent off to a cardiologist for analysis. There also happened to be a local family offering to cover the cost of the first 5 people to sign up for this service. Being a poor college student, I took advantage. That family was Erin and Jack, her son.
This is when Erin officially came into my life. We exchanged a few messages over Facebook, like where to send the check, but we kept our conversation surface level. As we were wrapping up the process, she said, “I know I’m a widowed, single mom, but I promise I am fun and if you ever want to, I would love to meet up.”
June 2014. I wasn’t sure what we would have in common, but my gut told me I needed to know her. I drove to a lake to meet her and Jack, and cruise around on a battery powered boat. Jack was sleeping for most of the boat ride. Erin and I talked about our day and decided we needed to head back to the dock because the battery was slowing down. Once we arrived back at the house, when Jack wasn’t educating me on every South Carolina baseball player, he put on his football helmet and legitimately tackled me! Boys!! I felt like family.
As Erin and I got to know one another, we discovered we lived a couple miles from each other in Columbia, are both left handed, have sisters, both passionate about pediatric PT, enjoy cooking, had identical tables from world market. And our love for wine! Oh our love for wine 🙂 That night we consumed a, or several, bottles of wine as she told me about Jake – how they met, fell in love, their wedding, that day in Savannah. Soon our night would come to an end but this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
November/December 2014. We kept in touch over the next couple of months as I was wrapping up my final rotation in Nashville. I had to go back to South Carolina for a board prep course in the Fall. I stayed with Erin and Jack. Soon thereafter, Erin attended my graduation. My time in South Carolina was up and I would be heading back to Oregon to study for Boards.
January 2015. I was on the bike when I received a text message from Erin. She helped pass the time. Then asked me if I would do the honors and wear Jake’s bib during my next marathon. She wanted his bib to cross as many finish lines as possible. I nearly fell off the bike! Without hesitation, I was all in.
April 2015. Erin mailed me Jake’s bib for the RnR Nashville Marathon. This race was going to be a special one but I really wanted Erin to be there. Unfortunately, due to a prior commitment in Columbia she would only be there in spirit. 2 days before the race, Erin sent me a surprise message. The committed was actually she’d be in Nashville with Jack and her parents.
I met up with them the Friday before the race. We drank wine because I heard that’s the best pre race hydration. We cried. We laughed. I went home because it wasn’t until that night and talking with Erin’s father, I understood it would be the most emotional and physical (Nashville weather and hills are no joke) race yet.
As expected, it was hot, humid, hilly. But it was so much more than a race. I took it all in. I stopped and talked to the crowds. High fived all of the tykes. Walked with strangers. Ran with strangers. Ate oranges. Contemplated laying down under a tree to get a bit of shade before I powered on. I was going to enjoy every bit of this race and celebrate Jake and his family, because after speaking with Erin and her family, that’s exactly how Jake would have wanted it.
With 1 mile left, I barely held it together. Erin and Jack would be at the finish line. I appreciated the crowd support, but my focus was on getting to to Erin and Jack. With 1/4 mile left, I broke into tears because not only would I be crossing another finish line, I was wearing the bib of someone who brought my best friend so much happiness, joy and the sweetest little boy on the planet. I crossed the finish line. I fell into Erin’s arms. I was speechless. But Jack was ready to play and asked to play tag. My marathon legs held up to chase him around, surely it was the wine!
This race was not about time and setting personal bests. It was much bigger. RnR Nashville (2015) is still my favorite and most memorable race to date. It was about family, community, and celebration. Everything I believe this sport is about I experienced at each and every mile. While I never met Jake, I know he brought Erin and I together for a reason. She’s the best friend I never knew I needed! Love you, sis!
The title of this post is in honor of Jake who signed his letters with “Trust”.