· Date: Friday July 19, 2019
· Where: Kalamazoo, Michigan to Defiance, Ohio
· Total Distance Covered: 129 miles
· Running Partner: Evan
Today was hot, maybe one of the hottest days of the entire summer. We awoke two hours later than yesterday so that we would wake up with the sun, rather than before it. These few extra hours of sleep made all the difference. We couldn’t believe what time we all woke up! It felt like we had slept in until noon when in reality we were up by around five in the morning. But sleeping in didn’t help our situation with the heat. I was running with Evan in the second van and by ten o’clock in the morning, the temperature was already over ninety. By noon, it was well over one-hundred degrees with humidity into the eighties. The cool summer air we had walked into this morning outside the Kalamazoo YMCA, with the pale pink sunrise, was gone. It was certainly not ideal running weather and we were struggling to maintain a good pace.
All around, was lone farmland with the occasional house. Sometimes, we could see a grove of trees ahead of us, but besides these, the area was relatively flat with little signs of civilization. At some points, there was not shoulder in the road, but it didn’t matter because there was such little traffic.
Today was another day where we ran some of our miles in groups of four so that we could be done running earlier. It was supposed to be well over one-hundred and ten degrees today, which was Ulman’s cut off for allowing us to run.
We each had ten miles to run today and our first two miles Evan and I ran alone. We talked a lot about running, shoes, and different professional runners. We loved talking about these topics together. We also quizzed each other on little facts about ourselves such as how many people we had in our family, what they all did, what their names were, and how old they were. In a few days, the team would be playing a trivia game together organized by a couple of the girls on the team. Evan and I were assigned partners together and we wanted to win! We felt that quizzing each other on things like this would help us to get to know each other better. Although we had talked a lot throughout the summer, and many of these conversations had been meaningful and personal, we weren’t positive about commonly asked questions such as these.
Our next two miles, we ran with Tyler S. and Jack. Normally, the four of us would have run at a fast pace and pushed each other. We also would have run four miles together instead of two. But the heat was holding us back. Our jerseys were plastered to our skin from the sweat in each of our miles before. Evan and Tyler took off their jersey to cool off and put on sunscreen. Throughout the summer, some of the guys had been running occasionally without their jersey so that they could cool off and not get a crazy tank top tan. I didn’t like this though because for those cars passing shirtless runners, we just looked like shirtless runners. If we kept the jersey on, they could read the Ulman logo and look up what we were doing, and possibly donate. Because of this, I had a ridiculous tan line. When I took off my jersey at the end of the day, Rizwan always made fun of me and told me I still had my jersey on! My paperwhite skin that hadn’t been touched by the sun stood out dramatically against my darkened arms and neck. We ran our miles together and then waited for the rotation of runners in the van and ran another two miles like this as well. In total, we had run about six of our miles by noon.
Somewhere, Brenna had gotten chocolate Oreos and shared the package with the van. This seemed to ease the mood as we all melted in the heat together. Because of all the van troubles we had throughout the trip, we were always cautious about running the air conditioning too much. On a day like this, we would get out of the van every time we pulled over to wait for runners. We would wait in the shade of the van, or the shade of some nearby trees and talk with each other. Staying hydrated was always a priority. On hot days like this, we would always yell to each other, “Hydrate or Diedrate!”
It was one of these times that we were standing outside of the van waiting for runners to come in, when there was no shade at all to be found. These were the last miles we would be able to run before it cooled off in the afternoon because it was over one hundred and ten degrees. We were all joking around with each other trying to distract ourselves from the heat when a man pulled up in a pickup truck.
He told us, “I saw your van earlier this morning and read what’s on the side of it.” He explained how he had looked up what the 4K for Cancer was and couldn’t believe what we were doing. “I appreciate you guys, you have no idea what kind of an effect this can have on people,” he told us.
“Thank you,” we all said at once. People stopping on the side of the road to thank us, or while we were waling through grocery stores, was no uncommon. What wasn’t normal came next.
“You know it’s hot out. You all should come over and take a break at my house. We’ve got a big family reunion going on and there are a bunch of college kids there too.” He was getting excited now and genuinely wanted us to go and have a good time with his family. “We’ve got a pond you can cool off in and we have plenty of food!”
We all thanked him for his offer. It was something we were not expecting, and we were apprehensive to accept such a generous offer from a total stranger. There was no way of knowing if this man who had only introduced himself as Pat Manahan, was telling the truth.
“We are still waiting for two more runners to get to the van. When they get back, we’ll talk as a group! It would be a while until we were in Defiance,” one of us tried to explain.
Before pulling away, the man tried to convince us further. “Look my house is only about a mile down the road that way,” he said pointing. “That lone pine tree is probably the only one in all of Ohio. We are right there and you’re more than welcome to join us.”
A few minutes later, the pair of runners we were waiting for arrived at the van and we told them what had happened. It seemed we were split down the middle as to who wanted to go to Pat Manahan’s pond and who wanted to keep driving. We all knew that we had to take a break somewhere to avoid the heat and adhere to the Ulman Foundation’s guidelines. But only half of us thought it was a good idea to take a break in a stranger’s pond. The other half wanted to keep driving until we found shade or food, and then wait there. We were all apprehensive to take the offer and probably would have decided to just keep driving if it wasn’t for the fact that Pat Manahan came back.
This time, Pat was in a different truck and had his three sons, Nicko, Ronan, and Brian. The oldest son was entering his senior year of college and explained that they were all having loads of fun over at the pond.
“I came back with my sons in case you guys were apprehensive I was a creepy old man!” Pat explained. He was grinning from ear to ear. You could tell that his family had told him that he had probably creeped us out earlier.
We all looked at each other apprehensively and then decided we would give it a try. Our indecision wasn’t a problem anymore as most everyone was on the same page now. Although it still had the potential to be a sketchy situation, we were all together and had excellent cell service all day.
When we arrived, the Manahan family had taken over the small Ohio house. There were about twenty of them and they were all wearing bathing suits. Behind the house, was a beautiful pond with rafts and a waterslide. The family invited us into their house and let us use their restroom and gave us water and Gatorade. They even had enough food for all fourteen of us, and themselves, to eat lunch. It was incredible. None of us had been expecting this at all!
We ate our food on the deck, on the lawn, and throughout the house. The Manahan family had accepted us as one of their own. They made us feel as though we were part of their family reunion! They told us how this reunion had started five years ago as an overnight trip. All of their family was in the surrounding states and this is the only time they ever saw each other. The next year, it became a long weekend, and this year, it had evolved into a six-day event. The family loved each other and knew how to have a good time! We would play frisbee, swim together, and play king of the dock. At first, it seemed only people on Team Boston were throwing people from Team Boston into the water and only Manahan family members were throwing other Manahan family members into the water. But soon, we were all picking each other up, tackling one another, and pushing everyone off the dock. Their dogs would tackle us in the grass and play tug of war. WE gave them belly rubs and lots of pets! We forgot about the heat of the day and we forgot about our exhaustion. It was one of the most incredible moments in the entire 4K for Cancer.
As we calmed down and we grew tired from the pond, we sat in the sun and talked with the family more. We traded stories and got to know one another. The Manahan family had been battling cancer for generations and had lost multiple family members. But they had multiple survivors as well. They were closely impacted by cancer and as we traded stories and talked with each other, you could tell their love for their family is what kept them going during these dark times. Pat Manahan was the man who originally invited us over, and this was his property as well. He made sure to talk to all of us. We found that explaining to him and his family why we were running the 4K for Cancer and our personal connection with the cancer community, was easy. The family aligned perfectly with the Ulman Foundation’s values.
At one point, a few of the younger family members wanted to run a couple of miles with us. So, Luke, a few other members of Team Boston, and I went out to run with them. I only ended up running about a half-mile out and back as I got hot quickly and didn’t want to waste my energy. I also had decided to run barefoot since I often liked to do this. By the Manahan house, there was plenty of grass that I ran on alongside the road. But as we ran farther away, this switched to sharp hay. I turned around and ran most of the way back on the hot pavement! Surprisingly, it felt amazing on my feet and I was actually glad I had gone barefoot!
Before leaving, Pat Manahan and his family hugged everyone of us. We gave them all our blog links and our information to donate as well. Pat explained how in the morning, he had such a bad day. His car had broken down and he was stranded. His son had come to pick him up and get a tow truck as well, and that is when they first saw us. He thanked us for making his day the most spectacular day he had in a long time.
“Everything happens for a reason, and we wouldn’t have met if my car hadn’t broken down!” exclaimed Pat. “I’m just so happy and thankful that my family and I got to meet you and enjoy an afternoon together!”
We all thanked them all repeatedly. They had been beyond gracious and welcoming. It was absolutely incredible. Before we had known it, we had stayed at their house for just over three hours!
“I feel like I’m saying goodbye to fourteen more of my own kids!” Pat yelled to us as we pulled out of the driveway.
Today, a year later, Rizwan would reach out to tell Pat Manahan how much the day meant for all of us on the team. Pat’s response explains the impact the day had on all of us and I think only he can explain it effectively:
“I really appreciate you reaching out. My family, and I mean everyone that was here that day, have had many discussions about that day. Rizwan, I turned fifty in November. I have a beautiful wife, four beautiful children, two of them daughters that since that day have given away to two fabulous son in laws. One just yesterday 7/18/2020. My first grandchild who is two months old.
With all this being said, meeting you and your team and inviting you back to my home that day, is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I have so much respect for you and your whole team, and your cause.
I will extend this offer again, if this world ever gets back to normal. I would gladly become a stop in the route. For any team. If you or any of your team members are close please give me a shout, then stop by. You and yours are always welcome.
By the way, I have talked with some friends in the City offices of Angola, IN. They would step up as well for refreshments and any help as well.
Thank you so much for reaching out.
Sincerely,
Pat Manahan
As we drove away, we all couldn’t believe what had happened and were so happy we had accepted Pat Manahan’s second offer. It was a much-needed recovery period after everyone had felt sick for so long and we had such a hot day. It was one of the first days in a while where the whole team as feeling better and we all felt bad for those in the other van who had missed out. We realized all our muscles felt like we hadn’t run in days! The pond was so cool and refreshing, it had felt like an ice bath. A year later, this is still one of the most memorable moments of the entire summer. When I think about the spirit of the 4K for Cancer, and the concept of no one fighting alone, this is what I think about. The generosity, the support, and the love for everyone are exactly what the foundations strives for.
None of us felt like running anymore, but we had to keep up with our miles! It was now only a few degrees over one hundred, so we were able to run. I found myself running my last four miles together with Brenna and Luke. I was so tired and exhausted. Apparently, I had used more of my energy swimming and throwing people off the dock than I had thought!
As we ran our four miles together, we were the last four miles before reaching the host. We told the van to just meet us at the host and we would be fine. We were running late because of our time at the Manahan family reunion, and we didn’t want the entire van to be late to the host. Brenna’s, Luke’s, and my tank top quickly became plastered to our skin and we were struggling to maintain a consistent pace. At a few points, we stopped and cooled off in the shade. Although the temperature was cooler than this morning, the humidity had risen, and we were having trouble. Since the van had gone ahead the four miles, we had no choice though but to keep going. The conversation was nothing besides a few breathless words to make sure each other was okay.
The host was the Defiance public school and was right next to a hospital as well. Earlier in the day, I had told my mom how hot it was and how we were having trouble running. She also had my location on my phone throughout the summer so that she could see how I was progressing across the country. When she saw my location was at a hospital, she thought I was in a lot of trouble and needed help! I felt bad because the location was slightly off and I explained that I was okay, and I was at the school next to the hospital.
What I didn’t tell her, is that a few minutes later I realized I probably should have gotten some help. When we finally arrived in the host parking lot, I wasn’t in good shape. I couldn’t stop sweating or cool down even when I went inside the school to the air conditioning. I was shivering and had a pounding headache and was also weak. Maybe I had heat stroke or exhaustion? I am not sure, but I knew I needed to stop the sweating and shivering. I went into the shower and just stood under the cool water for a long time, hoping it would help. Luckily, I soon found my strength again and stopped shivering. I felt like a new person and immediately started replacing my electrolytes and drinking water. That night, I would drink three thirty-two-ounce bottles of water, each with electrolyte solutions in them. It wasn’t until I had drunk the third one that I felt completely better. The heat had made me severely dehydrated and had really gotten to me.
The host had a community dinner for us that I was able to get to the tail end of. I was late because of the time I had spent recovering in the shower. Because of this, I was able to talk to the people who put on the dinner for us more than I would have otherwise. We had some great conversations and the food was spectacular!
Defiance, Ohio was also near Jackie’s family. So, after dinner, we took the vans to meat up with them at a local ice cream shop. Her family was nice enough to buy all of us the ice cream cone of our choice! Her closest family was there as well as some of her extended family. It was nice because everyone on Team Boston was able to talk with someone from her family. Tyler S. and I found ourselves talking with Jackie’s uncle who was extremely nice and marveled at both of our stories. He told us we should both be motivational speakers, which I wasn’t too sure about. This wasn’t the first time someone had told me this, but I have always been apprehensive because I don’t know what I would say. I also felt like motivational speakers sometimes talk about themselves and the hardships they went through. That’s not the message I would ever want to spread, and I would never want to go on a stage and talk about myself. Anytime I think about this, I really just don’t even know what to think.
Later, I wrote everyone’s name on a journal. The host van had gotten twenty-eight little journals for us all to write a farewell note in for each other before reaching Boston. Today, mine is still on my bookshelf. Over the next two weeks or so, everyone would sit down at night and grab someone’s notebook to write something in. I usually found myself writing my favorite memories with the person and what they had taught me. It was sad to think that the 4K for Cancer was coming to an end, but it was also mind-blowing to think back on everything we had done together and how close we had all become. The fact that we had only two weeks before leaving each other was depressing. But I was also extremely excited to see my family again and spend time with them. I missed them and today was another day where I wish I had been able to share it with them!
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