Thank you, Maurice!

I had just passed mile 17 and was starting to fade. The hills were taking their toll and I slowed to a walk, knees aching.

Suddenly, I heard pounding footsteps.

“Hey man, come on, you got this,” a tall runner exclaimed. I started jogging again, trying to keep up with him, his powerful energy.

“I’ve never ran this far before,” I said between breaths. “I did a half-marathon, but this feels a lot longer.”

“What’s your name?”

“Phil”

“I’m Maurice. Listen, Phil, you can slow down, but don’t quit!”

“Ok,” I responded, my head a little higher.

“And I’ll see you at the finish line, Phil!” He gave me a fist bump. “You got this.”

“Ok,” I called out.

“You can slow down, but don’t quit!” He jetted off, and his voice echoed in my mind.

Maurice’s encouragement was exactly what I needed at that moment.

I’m not going to say that the last 3 miles were easy. I jogged, then walked backwards a bit to rest my leg muscles, then ran again. But the last mile I ran harder, and true to his word, Maurice reappeared on the sideline as I approached the finish line.

He shouted words of encouragement, jumped up and down, and gave me another fist bump. “Great job, Phil,” he yelled.

I sprinted in, arms in the air, like I had just won the Boston Marathon.

What did I learn from this encounter with a total stranger?

In life, we need each other. Even something seemingly individual, like a 20 mile race, is actually a group event. We need helpers.

Thank you Maurice!

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