Tempe, Arizona
I
was supposed to become an Ironman on this day, but I had to settle for
volunteering again. Christian and I worked the finish line as what they call
catchers from 6- 9 p.m. which is the time frame I would anticipate finishing.
So these were people like me.
Volunteering
this year was an incredible experience. This 140.6 miles trial that these people
have undergone strips them down to some kind of very human core. They have
spent many hours out there surrounded by many but alone in their heads. Many
have spent the last hours of their journey alone with themselves in the dark.
They have spent the day with their doubt and their fear. When we catch them at
the finish line it is like a welcome back to a safe place. The only way I can
describe it is that they become like little children. Some of them become utterly dependent and
make no attempt to disguise it. One lady just put her head on my shoulder like my
little girl does when she is tired. Others would just look into my eyes and cry.
When I had to ask one lady questions, I had to reduce my questions to yes or no,
as all she could do was nod like a child. Strong men fell into my arms like
little boys and made no attempt to hide their dependence or their gratitude for
my supporting arms. You could feel their honest and sincere gratitude as they cried
when they thanked you. One finisher wanted to introduce Christian to his wife
and take pictures with him. I held them
while they threw up. I held them while they lost control of their bladder. If
you ever want to feel like you really helped another human being in a moment
where they truly needed you . . . go to
the finish line of an Ironman and catch these incredible people as they finish something
that strips away all their protections and makes them so human it will touch
you in a way you cannot possible expect.
One
addition is that it was probably not the best idea for me to catch with my
recovering collarbone. I actually had 12 different people completely collapse
on me and I had to prevent them from hitting the pavement until medical personnel
could arrive and take them away. Christian was laughing at me. No matter how strong they initially looked, I seemed to draw the collapsers.This can get difficult when you are coming off
a broken collar bone.
