Yesterday marked the 5th annual Route 66 Marathon in which I was supposed (due to race confusion, I missed the start of my run because the start lines were not the same and no announcement was made, so I basically stood around looking like a dumbass for about 30 minutes) to run the 5k while my mom ran her 3rd half marathon! So congrats Mom, but shame on me. That is not the point of this post. Later that afternoon I had received news from my mother that someone had passed away while running. While this is not incredibly common, it does happen. I cannot even begin to express the sort of emotions that I went through after hearing this...it is always incredibly sad to hear that someone has passed, but for me, a fellow runner passing while racing just breaks my heart. It takes incredible mental and physical strength to run a race, no matter what distance, and I know that first hand. Later on that evening I spoke to my best friend who had told me that the man who died earlier was a friend of ours, Marcus. While I had only hung out with Marcus one time, I was still incredibly saddened by this news as was Katie. The night I met him Katie and I had gone to his house to hang out with a few of her ex co-workers...my eyes immediately zoned in on Marcus's many half-marathon medals including an identical one to mine from last year's OKC half marathon. I feel like runners have a bond and an instant relationship...there is only one sort of person who knows how much dedication, determination, and discipline running takes and not to mention how many challenges you face along the way, and that is a fellow runner. When someone tells me that they too are a runner, I feel instantly connected with them...just as I had with Marcus. To hear of this 27 yr old man's passing was not only shocking but terrifying. He had a heart attack and died on the course around mile 10...only 3.1 to go. My thoughts have been with his family and friends since I heard the news and I cannot even begin to fathom the pain they are feeling especially with the holidays coming up. Marcus was one of the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met and he will greatly be missed by many.