WFG: 2015

Post a great sports moment in your life:

Division 3 College

Professional Golf

Division 1 High School

Division 1 College

Even if you Were Not a Player (2010 Softball)

Grayson Keith

Gulotta- Topics D

Sports Moment

My sports moment happened just recently. It started early on Monday morning at 6:30am. I remember setting five alarms before going to sleep the night prior and snoozing through three of them until I finally mustered the strength to lift myself out of bed. I took a freezing cold shower to wake myself up and was quickly on my way over to the Jack. I arrived 15 minutes early because I knew I would need to mentally prepare for what I was about to do, as well as warm my body up for the beating it was about to take. Mr. Lewton was in waiting for me when I got there, along with Arwen, John and Josiah. I remember thinking that this little crew we had was small in numbers but rich in spirit. As 6:30 crept closer and closer I actually became more calm and anxious to get started. I set my watch, took a quick sip of water, nodded to my three companions, and we were off.

Running a marathon was something I never thought I would do. It never crossed my mind to put my body through a grueling test like that, especially because I was never excited about running anything over 100 yards. This was my mindset up until Mr. Lewton announced the Remembrance Run at meeting two weeks earlier. As he explained the challenge and the reason he was running so far, I knew I needed to be a part of it. The run was in remembrance of Sargent First Class Andrew Weathers and the Boston Marathon bombings. Honoring a fallen hero and suffering myself for those in Boston two years ago that fell victim to terrorist acts was an easy choice for me. I made the decision that morning to join Mr. Lewton in his effort to not only raise money, but also make a personal sacrifice out of respect for those who lost their lives.

I didn’t prepare at all for the marathon. Reflecting back on it now, that may not have been the best approach, but I wasn’t going to let that hold me back from completing this challenge. In the week leading up to the 26.2 miles, I ran a mere 6 miles. Although a daunting thought I still managed to click START on my watch and get my legs moving. Campus loop after campus loop went by and the miles started accumulating. I began to feel confidence fill my heart, body, lungs and thankfully my legs. By 8am we had run 9 miles together as a group. We kept track of this by drawing a tick mark on our arms every lap. This visual representation of my progress gave me a sense of motivation I later would be very thankful for. By 8am I felt great, I had 9 miles under my belt…but I had to go to class. I ran up the stairs of Math Science to my Psychology classroom and paced around the classroom with adrenaline. Sitting down was the hardest part. All I could think about was running another lap, cramping up, being out there with Mr. Lewton running. Luckily my teacher noticed my anxiousness and allowed me to leave if I answered a question. I made sure I answered thoroughly and made my way down the stairs to cram a few more laps in before I had to sit down again for Monday meeting. I squeezed two more miles in before finding my seat in Allen Theater. Once again the anxiousness kicked in. Thoughts of being out on the road tempted me, but I pushed through. Despite the rainy weather, It was Mountain Day and my excitement grew to a whole new level. This pleasant announcement allotted me the time and freedom I needed to finish this challenge.

I booked it out the side door of Allen and was back running within seconds of meeting ending. The next three hours were a gut check for me. I had never pushed my body and mind as far as I did during those 15 remaining miles. Thankfully the people around me were going through a similar struggle, and for Josiah the exact struggle. Every two miles we would stop at the “Hydration Station” where Mrs. Lewton would meet us with Skittles, water and other little snacks to keep our bodies working. As she cheered us on to the next mile we immediately thought about the next quick stop at the “Hydration Station”. As the miles wound down, our bodies did too. I knew that my mind would soon have to take over control to keep me going. Every miles I would think ahead and visualize the stretch of road I would be encountering. Each hill, turn, flat and decline were ingrained in my brain. I would look forward 100 yards and say to myself “OK, make it too the tree and go from there”. Each checkpoint I set it my head was reason for celebration. It helped shrink the size of the mile loop down. At this point I had 6.2 miles left. Mr. Lewton had already finished and Josiah and I were on our own. Thoughts of Andrew Weathers, fallen heros and the events of the Boston Marathon bombing rushed into my head every time I felt doubt. Every time I felt like quitting I thought about Mr. Lewton who was waiting at the finish line for me, and I could always look to me left and see Josiah, going through the same struggle as me. As I curved the corner of Stanley Dorm and the “Hydration Station” my legs took off. The .2 miles of jogging I had left quickly turned into a sprint. I was filled with life as the finish line came into my sight. Sprinting fast across the finish line I was overwhelmed with joy. Joy because I didn’t have to run another mile, joy because I had finished something that seemed so impossible, joy because of the reasons I ran the marathon and joy because I pushed my body to a place it never had been and set a new bar for y mental toughness. It left me feeling like I could now do anything, no matter how impossible it may seem. Running this marathon was a defining moment for me, through the painful aftermath of sore muscles and blistered feet, I still felt joy because I had learned so much about myself in the process.