Beyond the Blog Day 11 (May 8): The Men of F3, Dr. Ted, and Coming Home

- July 05, 2021

I knew from planning that this day was going to be b-i-g. I would be running with groups of friends all day, and we had a big finish planned as I rucked into my neighborhood, to be joined by the neighborhood kids the last half to quarter-mile. A little party was planned for the cul-de-sac where I live, possibly with a news crew in attendance as well. All in all, a day to be in top form.

I was also happy because Cheryl was going to provide support for me all day, and although it was not much, it did provide us SOME time together. We woke up early and headed out in the dark for the Mt. Holly River Street Park, where we would be meeting a group of F3 PAX (our name for F3 members) and Dr. Ted.

It’s hard for me to estimate the number of miles Ted and I have run together over the last 20 years. Thousands of miles, to be sure, and we have seen each other at our best and certainly at our worst. Of course, we never fail to bring up each other’s worst moments whenever the opportunity presents itself. But our friendship runs deep, rooted in many hours of shared pain and conversation, so I was really happy that he was participating in this day. Having my F3 friends there made the day perfect. Catfish, Homeland, Tombstone, Spud, and Total Package (herding us together on his bike) all showed up at the park first thing in the morning (before me) and actually finished a complete workout before running. Hard Core! We then set off from Mt. Holly up to Mountain Island along the busy Mt Holly - Huntersville Road. It was a perfect day and our team marched along the road in one big group with Catfish leading the chatter as usual. We got in about 10 miles with that group before finishing in a parking lot, and Cheryl had the smart idea to get some more miles in at the Raptor Center before meeting the second team of F3 brothers. The roads were definitely getting busier and running to Latta Plantation Park was the ideal solution. Ted and I just chugged along for about 5 miles, as if it were any other Saturday, enjoying the moment. Soon it was time to meet for our second rendezvous, and after a quick stop for a Subway tuna sub (of course) we met Hop Hunter and Big Blue from the Afton team. Both of these guys are accomplished runners and so our team of four set off for the final leg into Concord and my home.

We did a fair bit of car dodging but it was still a great run, even adding on some mileage by passing our neighborhood entrance and doing a lap around Dorton Park, where F3 Afton is based. It was nice coming back to familiar territory where I’ve spent so many hours training for the event….it's a little like vindication for all that time invested. See? Look? I’m doing it now!

We turned back into the neighborhood after passing one of our own vehicle “event” signs that had pulled off the car. There it was, on the side of the road. What are the odds? We picked it up to put back on the car, but it only lasted another day before peeling off again and being lost to the sands of time forever,

The neighborhood had organized a little “run in” with the kids, so about ½ mile from home, I had about a dozen children walking with me, including Daniel. It was really a wonderful moment, and Cheryl had set out a chair and cooler in front of the house. I was able to finish with Ted, F3, and neighbors all at once, and felt almost unworthy of all that support. This day was one of the high points of the entire adventure, to be sure.