Today Mike and I took part in the first annual Heroes Run in Prescott to honor the 19 firefighters killed fighting the Yarnell fire the end of June. The community hosts a fundraiser or memorial just about every week, raising money to help the families.
the back of the race t-shirt honoring the 19 firefighters
Today's 2 mile and 10K races were held on the Brownlow Trail, a hilly system only two miles from our house. When we arrived at the race at 5:20am it was still dark, and I remembered volunteering at several Vermont races where we set up in the dark. The sun came up pink and rosy in the East and by the time we started at 6:15 headlamps were no longer necessary.
As I slogged up the rocky, washed out sections of the trail I thought about several people I know participating in the 100 on 100 relay today in Vermont. I shifted my gaze from the ground in front of me to the mountains, granite dells, and town of Prescott in the distance when the course ran along the ridgeline, trying to pick out landmarks in a town where we've lived for two weeks. When I passed the volunteers at the aid stations, I thought about the hundreds of people who volunteered at the local races in Vermont, many of them not runners themselves, but happy to cheer and encourage everyone on the course.
All small-town races end the same way: we congratulate each other as we come through the finish line, thank the volunteer who hands us a bottle of water, and stand around and talk about the race. I met Steve Orth, one of the active members of the local Mountain Milers running group, who told me about several races in the next month and invited me to the local group training runs.
I'm one step closer to truly feeling at home in our new community.
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