Haiti: Marathon Day & My Reeboks

When I first signed up for the Mission 29.2 trip for the Haiti Marathon, I had it in my head that the marathon (well, 29.2 miles) was the focus, the purpose of the trip. Because of this, I was beyond bummed when my back went psycho and I wasn’t able to run anymore. I wondered what it would be like to participate in this trip without running. Would I feel left out? Would the entire trip still be worth it?

Crazy, crazy thoughts.

In retrospect, the marathon is really just a post-script on the trip to Ouanaminthe. Yes, it was a special day and I was inspired by all the local runners that kicked ass just so they could stand a chance of winning the prize money. After spending all the time with the kiddos at the orphanage though, I realized that this trip to Haiti was so much more than a 29.2 race.

But marathon day was still a lot of fun!

“Marathon Day” technically began on Friday night after we returned from the day at Phaeton with the kiddos. There was a pre-race meeting scheduled in one of the classrooms at Institution Univers, led by Mission 29.2 brainchild Martha and her running partner/race director, Mark. All of the local runners came to pick up their bib numbers and thumb through the massive pile of donated shoes and fuel belts. Y’all, thank you again for all of your wonderful shoe donations; near as I could tell, there were plenty of shoes to go around!

Race day dawned bright and early as both volunteer runners and non-runners alike threw on some clothes in the pre-dawn darkness. We headed towards the center of town which would serve as the starting line to the Ouanaminthe Haiti Marathon. Dozens of local runners ambled around the town square, sporting their new running shoes and fuel belts in a variety of configurations. Fuel belts were a new item for these runners and I saw them turned forwards, turned backwards, and hanging over their shoulders like a purse. I also learned that the local numbers for the 2013 race were higher than they had ever been before: over 60 local runners had registered, including 6 or 7 females. In 2012, only 2 or 3 women had registered for the race, but none of them had finished all 29.2 miles. Would 2013 be the year for the first female finisher?

I stood on the sidewalk with the other non-running volunteers as the 2013 Ouanaminthe Haiti Marathon began. After the initial chaos of the race start, the dust settled and everyone scattered to their various volunteer stations. For the American volunteers, that included jumping in the back of Hugues’ truck– we were going to be mobile course support!

In essence, Mission 29.2 had paid a few locals to set up 4 water stations along the course, but the truck acted as additional support. We drove around with water, snacks and the occasional bottle of Coke for all of the runners. And you know what? I really enjoyed this! In fact, I am not sure whether I will even try to run next year because I had such a great time on the back of the truck! I got to meet and communicate with the majority of the runners, helping them out when needed and offering them water when they were parched. It took a few laps for me to get accustomed to the method of water distribution though: if a runner needed water, he would raise his arm up as we drove by. We would then *literally* throw a bottle onto the ground in front of him! It was the most effective technique and we mastered the “lobbing throw”, but I still giggled every time. It definitely felt bizarre to throw water at the runners!

While completing one of our circuits, we learned that another American volunteer, Laurie, had a local girl with her that looked to be the first female course finisher! At this point, the two of them were roughly 16 or 17 miles into the course. However, the girl had received donated shoes that were too small and her feet had begun to severely blister. By the time we found them, Laurie was concerned that the girl wouldn’t be able to finish, and naturally we wanted to do anything we could to help her achieve the title of first-ever woman finisher!

When we pulled up, Laurie explained to us what was going on and that the girl’s shoes were 1-1.5 sizes too small. All of the donated shoes had been given out the night before, so there were no more larger sizes to offer the girl. We began to run through all of our options when Laurie exclaimed, “We just need a pair of shoes in a size 8.5!”

Lightbulb moment. We didn’t have any shoes that were a women’s 8.5, but I sure did! I am a size 8.5 and I was wearing my Vitamin C Reebok RealFlex shoes.

I took my shoes off my feet and offered them to Laurie and the girl, hoping that they would fit her feet. And, as luck would have it, the RealFlex fit perfectly! I stood in my socks in the back of the truck and watched as Laurie and the girl continued along the race course, my neon orange shoes shining brightly on the girl’s feet.

So why do I tell you this story? A couple of reasons actually. First of all, this girl went on to finish the Ouaminthe Haiti Marathon and become the first female finisher in the history of the race! And yup, she did the last 10+ miles while wearing my RealFlex shoes on her feet. As Laurie later said, those shoes were a lifesaver and made the difference between whether or not she finished all 29.2 miles. Maybe it’s narcissistic, but I am so glad I had been there to offer her my shoes. Many of the volunteers later praised me for my “selflessness” in giving her my Reeboks, but I’d like to clarify something: the cool part of this story is not that I gave her my shoes. I like to think I’m transparent in the sense that y’all know I receive a lot of shoes and other gear for free, and that was definitely the case with these RealFlex shoes. However, I love that something somewhere aligned and put me and my feet in the right place at the right time. Regardless of your personal beliefs, the sequence of events that led up to that moment are pretty incredible, and I know it’s a memory that I will hold on to for a long time.

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What’s the best “right place at the right time” story you have?