150 words about 26.2 miles and border collies on wheels
Mercedes sponsors Six26 Cycling, so the morning of the Mercedes Marathon our team was on course providing support. One responsibility was finding the women’s leader so a TV crew could follow her to the finish, but we also helped clear a path for her through runners still on their first lap. As she was pounding out mile after mile, each around 6:35, I felt a real responsibility to ensure nothing blocked her opportunity to win the women’s race. We politely shooed runners to the side so she had a clear path and alerted bystanders that the lead woman was coming up. And women really cheered her on. I found a new appreciation for the bike’s mechanical advantage. Our 26.2 miles was an easy 9 mph ride. But it gave us a unique, inspiring view of about 5,000 runners accomplishing hard-won individual achievements. Each solely on their own effort ~ no gears.
