
Failure is a part of this sport.
You’re going to come up short at some time or another.
Dreams will be broken and for a moment, there will be an uncontrollable sadness.
I’ve experienced it and if you've run long enough, you know this feeling as well.
On Sunday I witnessed two of my athletes watch their dream of qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials slip away from them.
This was the last chance to book their tickets to Orlando.
Devastation, confusion, frustration... all words that can describe the period of realization that it wasn’t going to happen.
But, not only them, but the 100s of runners who signed up for CIM for the last chance opportunity to do something special - to be a part of a race that, for some of us, is the highest race we will ever be a part of.
The dream isn’t to make the Olympics (for most), the dream is to achieve a spot on that start line. All the work that had been done in the years leading up is the validation of sacrifices and energy that in another life, could be used elsewhere.
It’s sad to see this failure happen to people who put in the work day after day. Nobody deserves to qualify but to hell if they didn’t try to earn it.
The tremendous amount of energy they put forth is commendable, and the effort certainly is not lost in trying your best to make that dream a reality.
And even though that wasn’t enough - there’s still enough validation left on the table to say “I am enough.”
I'm a believer that one race doesn't shape who you are and what you've accomplished. Sure, it sucks to fail when it feels like it matters most, but the many months and years leading into that event isn't lost. It counts.
I’m sad to see two of my athletes (and good friends at that) miss out for 2024. I grieve with them. Watching them slowly fade on the race tracker turned my stomach into knots. I know too well the feeling of loss that follows the realization that it wasn’t going to happen
But, if there is anything I leave with them, it’s that it was worth a shot.
They will never regret nor forget this period when they gave their best. They gave it their all.
While the sadness and anger will linger on for a bit, there will be more opportunities that lie ahead - so much as they keep their fire lit.
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