Stories from the Course

I know, with certainty, that Dad would get a kick out of such an outpouring of love. Not just the runners showing up as they always do, but Oxford coming out to support as well. And he’d think it was pretty neat to be running the trails that he had taken us exploring on hikes many years before, but now in the name of everyday heroes like him, who just do good things for the sake of doing them, not for a pat on the back, but because doing good is just what good people do.

– Patrick Rodio, Jerome’s son to whom this run inspired by.

This is Eduardo. He’s from the Oxford area and he’s run our Everyday Hero race several times. He says he looks forward to our event every year and will be back for more next year. We watched the race together (he had already finished and was waiting for his wife and granddaughter, Frida) while I was taking photos.

As Frida climbed the hill with her mom, he gave them an encouraging shout. Frida, who was walking at that moment, asked if they were running out of time. We both shouted “yes” (there’s no real time limit) and off she ran so she didn’t run out of time ). He ran in with them (I ran ahead to get their official race pic) and they all finished strong.

Before that, he had mentioned how he hopes Frida continues being active, as he’s seen kids fall into violence and drugs, etc too often.

So kudos to Eduardo for his continued support of our race and his community, and of course, for his love of family. Frida is a pretty lucky kid!

Everyday Hero 5K.

Tough but beautiful course with grass, gravel, hills, and one hole I temporarily lost a sneaker in. As a road runner, it’s not often I run trails let alone race them. While I may have cursed a couple times, it definitely got me outside my comfort zone. Also, I didn’t wear music. Loved how I could hear nature, talk to the people around me, and just you know, hear my breath. –  Robyn Fineman Randa