Hampton 24 Hour Run for Cancer

A bit late on this, but here's my quick recap from the Hampton 24 Hour Run for Cancer. The 2020 event was postponed to November, but I opted to run a smaller race that day because vaccines hadn't rolled out and my parents are high risk. But, alas, April 2021 things were looking brighter and with a fully vaccinated family I decided to attend my 4th Hampton 24 hour.

Although certainly not back to our old normal, this race was the most normal feeling, thus far, in the pandemic. While we still had temperature checks, a staggered wave start, and masks were still worn, for the first time in a long time there were hugs and hand shakes. Having only run several times in the previous two months, there was absolutely no distance goals set for the day, other than to collect my 112th ultra distance. My starting wave began at 7:35am and I was content to run the first 15 miles as a long workout. It was my first run over 4 miles since running Holiday Lake ten weeks earlier. I then made it a point to catch up with a few old friends of mine and clicked off the hours and miles.

As the day carried on, the cool spring rain came, and also some very sore legs and feet. The lack of running is apparent to me every day, but after 41 miles and ten hours, my body wasn't having any more of it, and I was more than content with that. As in person running events gradually start coming back, for me it will be more about celebrating the people that makes the running community what it is, and the fact that we are finally together again doing what we love.