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He had flown in with the sole purpose to run. There was nothing else on the agenda, no tour, no sightseeing or other pending visits. He came hundreds of miles away to run. Traditionally, San Francisco is flooded with tourists and visitors around midsummer time; the Golden Gate becomes saturated with crowds. Haight Street and Ashbury are invaded by groups of new explorers with the traditional Canon strap and their point and shoot hanging from their necks. The Golden Gate Park becomes the stomping grounds for families’ strolls and the daily jogger while the piers attract foodies and weekend commuters. This Sunday was different. Over 80,000 people came from all over the world to run the San Francisco marathon. Although, everyone had different goals and aspirations, Kike’s was to finish the 26k mile route. Kike, my brother-in-love, had been training for this for over a year, and I was humbled to witness the occasion from the sidelines.

I was inspired by everyone’s effort, everyone’s push, and their long ended stares into the 26k abyss. Streets were closed off, and I was lucky to find parking between Market and Buchannan Street – sandwiched between the police officers closing off the roads and the volunteers cheering on the fellow marathoners. Eagerly tracking Kike on the RTRT app, I held my phone recording while simultaneously handling my camera. He was due to pass by any second. I didn’t want to miss the moment where I finally would catch a glimpse of him. Cheering all the unknown runners that came before him, I yelled at the top of my lungs his name hoping he’d wave back. He did. It wasn’t long before I managed to get down to the finish line, sneak in and capture a few candids of our cousin and him making it.

I thought about how hard everyone must have worked for that finish line. The months of training and the sleepless hours they tacked on to get there on time. It was personal sacrifice—there was perspiration, inspiration, agility, strength, and the admiration of hundreds of loved ones. I was so touched that I almost shed a tear at the thought of embracing every one of those runners’ efforts. I almost caved in and started running just because. So I’m deciding to run my own marathon. I’m going after my own finish line. I feel like if I keep watching everyone from the sidelines, I might be missing out on a great achievement. How many of us don’t run because of the fear of failure, or the fear of running into a wall or even at the thought of exhaustion? Martin Luther King said it best:

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

I urge each and everyone who reads this, whether you have your business, planning the biggest event of your life or is feeling complacent where they’re at, to keep running. The finish line is probably miles and miles away, but it’s there. To keep moving forward and inspiring people in the sidelines is one of the best things we could ever do. So thank you, Kike, for injecting your passion and inspiration into not only me but also hundreds of people who witnessed you finish.

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