I didn't win a trophy for being fast today at the Sprint for DARE, but I was honored for something ultimately more important. I was honored with the "Spirit Award" which is now named after a young man who inspires us all to persevere when faced with the greatest of challenges. The award is given tor an individual who shows courage and personal conviction and it was given to me due to my journey to the top of Pike's Peak and the awareness campaigns I have attached to my journey.
It's not the award that means so much to me however, its the young man whom it is now named after that gives the award so much meaning. I have been running the Sprint for DARE for many years now and this young man, Ryan B (sorry once again I'll withhold his last name for internet safety), has been too. A number of years back he was in a serious accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury that severely affected his motors skills and could no longer walk, but the next year he was back out there doing the Sprint for DARE in his motorized wheel chair... wow, how humbling yet inspirational for the rest of us! He finished with his family at his side and we were all amazed at his perseverance and courage. In the following years I have seen him each year and cheered him on as I pass by, Ryan has graduated from his motorized wheel chair to crutches to canes and every year he completes that 3.1 mile course with us! As big a challenge as it is for me to run up the slopes of Pike's Peak, that challenge is nothing to compared to Ryan's and his family's. I look forward to one day when he can again navigate the Sprint for DARE's course unencumbered by any artificial supports and hopefully even run it again some time after that. I am proud to have received an award with Ryan's name on it. I felt that it was karma today, as I walked up front I noticed that Ryan too was wearing a bright yellow LiveSTRONG shirt... just like me!
I will paraphrase what Lance Armstrong has said of his "LiveSTRONG" mantra... yellow is more than just the color of the Tour de France's leader jersey. It's a symbol for hope, courage, and perseverance; it inspires people to overcome adversity and adopt the channeled, focused energy that Lance used in his own battle with cancer.
Keep living STRONG Ryan and Mikey and Carole and Mom and Karen and Kelsey and Regina and Marty and Reese and ...
(you all know who you are and cancer is not the only adversity that we must persevere against in life)
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