25 Comments

Congrats! And thanks for passing this on. A nice read this morning. My kid turns 3 on Thursday so I’m trying to focus on that.

The thing I hate most about Trump? The fact that this whole thing is about him making more money for himself. Which tracks.

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I'll never forget telling complete strangers at the finish line of a modest 15k in a shocked tone "I did it! I didn't think I could do it, but then I did it!" Just about all of them looked genuinely happy for me and said "YOU DID!" I don't know that I've ever felt that kind of kindness since. Maybe time to get those running shoes back on and eat less of the kids' leftover pizza.

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Thanks for the uplifting message here, and for bringing hope to a weary reader.

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Congrats Marathoner! I've been waiting patiently to read about your experience. The crowd support at big races like that really brings out the best in everybody and makes me a bit emotional when I think about it. Every so often, I still randomly think of the person that looked me in the eyes as I was floundering at mile 25 of my marathon and simply said, 'I know, I know. But you are SO close.'

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The companion column was wonderful. Congrats for making it through the Marathon with such a great experience. :)

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Great article. Thanks. The exact type of both distraction and non-distraction that I needed today.

I'd like to add my answer to the "What do you hate most about Trump" question as I haven't seen someone list it as a possible answer yet.

I hate that he turns my friends and family members that support him into the worse versions of themselves. He brings out and thrives on only the faults in human beings and does nothing to encourage the "better angels of our nature". The only positive thing he encourages in the world is people to work against him. I realized that I was falling in love with my wife when I realized she always inspired me to the best version of myself. Trump does the opposite of that to people, turning otherwise good people into the worst versions of themselves.

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I read the opening and was a little disappointed you were going to block out the proper noise of the marathon. I was immediately thinking about whether or not to comment that I thought you'd deprived yourself of one of the best parts of the experience, so I was very happy to see that the gods undid that decision for you. Congratulations on finishing, your medal is well-deserved.

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Great writing on the marathon. I enjoyed reading it.

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Thanks. Very helpful today.

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Congratulations! So glad you lost your headphones - the energy and community along a marathon is the best part, as you so eloquently write. Looking forward to you helping me process the election results in the days ahead. 🤞🇺🇸

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That was an outstanding essay, Will. The first thing I noticed in the top photo was that you didn't have any earbuds in, so as soon as you mentioned the sweatshirt you were donating, I knew what happened. I did check in on you on the app. I ran 5 miles on the treadmill watching the marathon (saw both the elite men and women finish), though my pace was, um, NOT as fast as your first 18 miles. When I saw you had done the first 7 or so miles at a 7:45 pace, I cranked up the treadmill to that speed ... and lasted maybe a minute. Probably because I didn't have thousands of people cheering me on. Nice going!

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Thanks, sir! I'm honored you were checked the app. Did you think that I had died when I stopped? A few people did!

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Haha - actually, it showed restrooms on the map, so I thought maybe there was a line before the final push!

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Great article and congrats. Hope the sushi was amazing!

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Great story, my good man.

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Congrats, Will! Quite the accomplishment! And you put everything into such perfect perspective.

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This is going to sound corny, but I smiled when I saw on the tracker that you had finished the race.

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Will you share the playlist? Others might enjoy it—even if you weren’t able to use it on Sunday

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