When I first heard about “Chase the Race” I thought to myself, “leave it to the Beden’s to figure out a way to feel like you’ve run the Boston Marathon without being in the race itself”. After the game plan was discussed, I was curious, excited and anxious to witness the ensuing chaos of this marathon day, but what I didn’t realize as I hopped into the rented minivan the morning of the marathon, was how this one day, this one “chasing of the race”, would perfectly encapsulate the essence of a family I love and admire so much.
As Robin peeled out of the driveway, minivan packed to the brim with laptops, drinks, bagels and a tangle of arms, legs and smiles from the three Beden sisters and the two woefully ignorant fiancés, a feeling of excitement and determination rippled throughout the car as it normally does when the Beden’s spearhead any initiative. We were off to our first of four stops along the 26.2 mile route to watch Craig run his 10th Boston Marathon and as Robin navigated our way through highways, back roads and practically some back yards, the importance of this effort, would continuously wash over me with each stop, until I was engulfed in a state of understanding and gratitude for having witnessed such a demonstration of love, perseverance and support.
In the face of road closures, Boston traffic, a complete lack of parking and her passengers stating blatantly “I’m going to pee my pants” I watched Robin guide her family safely to each destination as she does each day of her life. In these moments of complete disarray, Robin’s steadfast character shown as brightly to me as it ever has. After delivering us on time to each stop to cheer Craig on and embrace him with hugs and encouragement, I saw Robin not only as the literal driving force of this wonderful family that I always understood her to be, but a driving force that actually does not intend to lead from the driver seat she was sitting in, but instead guides her family uniquely from the back, selflessly supporting those around her at every turn and always putting the thoughts and needs of others first. There is no length Robin wouldn’t go to so that her family could be joined together on this important day and so that Craig would feel supported in the moments he needed his family the most. And although the day was most likely rather grueling for Robin, she wore it with a smile as she always does and the beaming smile on Craigs face as he saw his family at each planned point only reiterated the importance of Robins selfless acts. With each stop and each sighting of Craig along his route, another realization about this day washed over me.
Life is very much the race Craig Beden ran that day. It is a long, difficult journey. It cannot be done in a sprint. There are no shortcuts and there are many parts of this race that will, in the words of Craig “take a whack at you” such as life does now and again. But after watching Craig’s face light up with every sighting of his family, I realized probably the most important similarity this race has to our lives is that it is much harder to do it alone. This notion came on strongest to me as I saw Craig emerge from around a turn on his way to a point fittingly called heartbreak hill, a daunting uphill climb towards the back end of the race poised to crush the spirit of any runner. As I watched the race from that area, I saw the tired, drained faces of many runners go by and Craigs, for a moment, was one of those faces. But when he looked up and found his family cheering him on from the sidelines, safely delivered by his loving wife for the third time that day, I witnessed what it truly means to not be alone in this life. In that moment, I saw a transformation in Craig, fueled by the abundance of love and support emitting from his family and watched a new runner step into his shoes, a runner that could take on not just heartbreak hill, not just finish the marathon in flying colors (which he did), but a person that could take on the world. There is no greater gift in this life than the feeling of being loved and maybe even more importantly, having love to give, and whatever lengths you need to go to deliver that love, is always worth it. I am forever thankful to have witnessed the actions of Robin and Craig through “Chase the Race” to remind me of just that.
