Kathy and I just finished a journey we may never take again. Race Directing! Wow! What a journey it was.
I may need to let Kathy write this. She plugged away at every detail from start to finish. She laughed and cried. She screamed and shouted at her computer. She e-mailed and called people she loved and tried to love. She had things under control the entire time. She is an amazing woman. She is my hot wife.
We were asked to direct the 2nd Annual Holly Jolly Jog benefiting The Mansfield High School Tiger Band because we were "runners and Know what runners like". We had no idea the things that went into a 5K Fun Race and soon learned.
We had so many little set backs along the way. The Venue. The Course. The Volunteers. The Food and Drinks. Through it all, God showed us His hand was on it and He ultimately made things work out. We learned to trust and keep pushing and working.
Runners are last minute people. This was a statement the fine folks at Runtime Racing told us about a week before the race. They were right. Runners seemed to flock to register online and in person after that. Why? My opinion is the course, venue, and great people involved drew them in. I think the race could be just as successful next year.
Success! How is that measured? Well, I say success can be GREAT VOLUNTEERS in action. Wow! The Band Boosters and Band Members turned out to help, beginning at 5:45am on Saturday! There was never a need for a person to do a job. The registration, chip pickup, food, water station, course direction, awards, first aid, bus driver, traffic control, warm up, leading the one-miler, and on and on were covered. Thank you MHSTBB!!!!
People may measure success with numbers much of the time. I will not lie, so do I. Success can also be measured in the way a team is built for the future. The lives that were touched by runners, helpers, cheering, or just a smile along the way. That is success that can build for tomorrow. Holly Jolly Jog was more than a fun 5K to help our band. It showed me how to trust and work hard. How to laugh and role with a punch. And how to love my wife even more.
Happy Holly Jolly Jog Kathy. To have and to hold, till all Jog T-Shirts are SOLD!!!
