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Dear Subscriber First Name, This past weekend would have been the Ghost Train 100 in Brookline, New Hampshire. Like many events this year, it was, unfortunately (but wisely) canceled, with the hopes of keeping folks safe as we all work together to navigate our way through this pandemic. It's sad not being out there sharing miles with friends and strangers, high fiving one another, pursue our own individual goals while sharing in each other's journeys, but I know we will be back to those days soon enough. This race remains special to me for so many reasons, and I've been reflecting on my relationship with the Ghost Train 100 a bit this past couple of days, thinking about what keeps me coming back. In 2014, I joined the Ghost Train Facebook group. At the time, I was a junior in high school, unsure about where life would take me but sure about the fact that I loved to run. I enjoyed running cross country and track, especially for the camaraderie involved with being part of a team, but I also sought to push myself farther and became drawn to the idea of seeing just how far I could go. Sure enough, I entered the world of ultras the following year, dabbling in several local races, and then in 2016, I booked a ticket to my first Ghost Train. With little experience in hundred milers but a strong belief in my mind, I managed to come away with a new course record in 14 hours and 51 minutes. I had shown up that morning feeling alone but returned home with a couple of hundred new friends, thanks to the incredibly welcoming and supportive community I discovered throughout the course of the race. It was this community that brought me back to the starting line in 2017, when I lowered my course record to 13 hours and 50 minutes, running one of the top 10 fastest times in the world for the year, and setting an age world record. Both of these performances showed me what I am capable of and opened the doors to many future opportunities, but much more important than the times I ran were the people I met, the bonds I formed, and the lasting friendships I created. It's these connections that running has the power to produce, and one of the aspects of running I miss the most right now. I feel it's these connections that bring out the best in ourselves and each other. Even if many of us have been training on our own recently due to the precautions we are practicing, the reality is, the community has not gone away and is very much still there. If anything, we are being granted an opportunity to see what about running is important to us. For me, it's the people I've come across in my running journey who have made it so meaningful and who help drive me forward. It brings me so much joy to think about the moment when we will all be able to gather at a starting line together as we once have, ready to embark on a shared journey. For now, I will feel gratitude for all of the goodness running has brought into my life, and I will keep pressing onward one day at a time, in the way that we runners know best.
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