Racing Art

Runners are Artists.  And a Race is a piece of Art. As a Coach, I get to watch my runners construct a different masterpiece at each meet.  Sometimes it turns out exactly as they planned, sometimes, something unexpected emerges.  But whatever the outcome, the art stands.  And I appreciate each piece.  If you're a runner, consider how you race... or better yet, how you want to race. What is it in you that your race can express better than words?

Some of you run as Realists.  Your race reflects the brutal reality that the sport of running is: it’s the salt stains from the sweat; it’s bleeding blisters and spike wounds; it’s the mud you’ve trudged through; it’s the look of agony on your face as you struggle to maintain pace; you don’t try to hide how horrible it feels; there’s no sugar-coating, there’s no fakeness. It’s real! Your art is the ugly; but it’s the truth, and that’s why it’s beautiful.

Some of you run as Surrealists. Your race reflects the irrational, the fantastic, the unbelievable.  It’s as if you’re in your own dream world, a world where you can bend time and space.  You make your own rules in your reality.  You are not beholden to your past, or your training, or the limitations of your mind.  Your race points us all to something greater than the here and now; your art teaches us to go beyond, and that’s why it’s inspiring. 

Some of you run as Modernists.  Like a white canvas with a blue dot, or the canvas that’s simply been painted red; your art doesn’t make sense to the average onlooker.  Most would say ‘people actually pay money for this!’  But to those of us who can see deeper, we know that your race is your race.  And you don’t care if not a single other person out there gets why you are doing what you’re doing.  Because your art is for you and you alone.  It reflects what you needed to do, what you needed to process, what you needed to release, and that’s why it’s respected.

Some of you run as Expressionists. Like an artist angrily throwing paint at a massive canvas, you race from your emotions.  Your start is anxiety. Your finish is elation. Your fears become your opponents. Your empathy becomes the encouraging word you give a teammate. Your envy becomes the fartlek you use to pass the guy in front of you. Your anger drives you up the hill and your joy glides you down. Those who watch you are stirred inside because your race reflects the human experience, and that’s why it’s loved.

The course is your canvas.  And as the artist, you get to create whatever work you desire on that canvas.  May all you runners create a masterpiece at your next race.