Running has always been a natural part of life for humans. Mankind started running out of necessity, but now most people run for recreation. It is unknown when running became recreational, but one of the first races took place in Egypt in 3800 B.C., and running was the first and only event in the first Olympics in 776 B.C. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, however the distance didn’t become standardized until 1921. Now there are more marathons then there have ever been, and a record number of people are running them. There are so many people that are qualifying for the Boston marathon that the registration is full within 8 hours.
Running has always been an important part of my life. Whenever life gets hard, all I have to do is go for a long run. With each step, my worries seem to disappear. Because running outside is such an important part of my life, I have had to run in some interesting circumstances. The two most challenging places I have had to run are in a small courtyard in Jordan and in the Alaskan tundra. In 2006, I moved to the country of Jordan and was told upon arriving that I probably would not be able to run outside. Having been a runner my entire life, this simply would not do. I ended up running in the small courtyard of the girl’s school. I had to run in pants and a long sleeve shirt in 100 degree weather, but I was able to run outside. When I moved back to the Colorado I was so excited to go on a real run that I ran outside in a blizzard and a few months later decided to start training for my first marathon.
I thought nothing would be as hard as running in circles, fully covered, in 100 degrees, until this year. I moved to Stebbins, AK in August and right away started finding places to run. August and September had excellent running weather. Everyday was in the 50s and the only challenges I faced were coming back with wet feet from running on the tundra. As soon as fall hit running outside became increasingly more difficult and every run was a new experience. Most of the year I have had to run with ski goggles on, because the cold wind was freezing my corneas. For the majority of the winter and spring I have had to run with at least 3 layers on, a full face mask and goggles. I have run in freezing rain, -45 degrees, several inches of snow and heavy wind. I never know how each run will turn out, but I get to run outside in one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever been. I’ve had to run in severe weather conditions, but I only have to run for 10 minutes and I’m out in the country surrounded by nothing but open land and sparkling snow. Running in Bush Alaska is always an adventure - one that I look forward to everyday. Running has given me the opportunity to see some amazing areas and meet some wonderful people. Everywhere I go I try to get out and run. It gives me the chance to get to know and see new areas of the world.
