I try to participate in races
that either have an interesting course or support a compelling story. When they
do both, signing up is a no-brainer. The Run for the Water (RTW) 10-miler on
Sunday, October 26, 2014 was one of those races.
RTW is the second largest
fully charity-produced road race in ATX. Registration benefited the Gazelle
Foundation, a local non-profit that funds and builds clean water projects in
Burundi, Africa. The foundation was inspired by Gilbert Tuhabonye,
a Burundi survivor of the Hutu/Tutsi civil upheaval of the 1980’s and 90’s.
Gilbert always greets the runners as they finish. His smile alone is worth the effort;
however, the tech shirt and #Finish 3st socks were an added bonus.
The race start was a clear,
calm 62 degrees with 85% humidity. I used this run to gauge my fitness for the
Philadelphia Marathon next month. It’s a challenging course cresting at six
miles before a gentle downhill finish. The reward for reaching that highest point
is a panoramic view of the Colorado River bending around the hills of Austin.
It’s difficult not to stop and snap a picture. This year, I didn’t. I was
having too good of a run. I tried to thank every police officer I passed and
express gratitude at each water stop; the race, after all, was all about water.
I finished in respectable
shape and within my time goal. My quads were a little tight the next day, but it was from a good and true effort. RTW was one of those races that make me feel like a better runner – inside
and out.
