Why We Run

By Drew Beaty

It is a hot and humid Saturday morning, one best spent in a cool comfortable bed.  It's still an hour earlier than most people even consider moving on a day off. My mom comes in the room and wakes me just enough to get into the car.  I was 8. I remember this particular morning was extremely hot, which to me meant that my neon yellow Super Soaker 150 would be my tool of choice, so I filled it up with cold tap water.  Mom and I loaded into our baby blue diesel Tempo and set out in search of my dad.  He had been up hours ago lacing his worn out running shoes and wrapping his frozen Gatorade bottle with a towel and a rubber-band before heading out on a 20+ mile run.  A support car dropping off fresh supplies in the middle of a long road to nowhere in "small-town" Illinois was unusual. I didn't realize that then, I was too excited about using my Super Soaker to surprise attack dad with an impromptu cooling station!  This is how I remember many Saturday mornings growing up.

Before GU was a thought, when running shoes were nowhere near "gait-specific", and cotton was king fashion next to spandex, my dad was the ultimate ROAD RUNNER!  I can say with absolute distinction, my childhood was filled with uncommon memories thanks to his passion.  For instance, most would never get to see their dad melting the beard-cicles after a cold Indiana winter run.  

While my dad is no Dean Karnazes, whom we both got to meet during his run across the country, my dad has been the most consistent runner that I have ever known.  Knee problems (supported by mondo-braces), kidney stones (more than I know he wants to count), major and minor surgeries have all fallen in his path multiple times, but nothing has deterred his need to get in a good run.  While most would see any of those on the aforementioned list as a reason to give a good pause on running, I've seen my dad sneak out well before the doctor's approval.  You don't want to be the doctor foolish enough to tell my dad not to run.

Why does he run so much?  His usual response to anyone who asks that is "Because I want to!" or "Because I still can!", but I tend to think there is a deeper reason to it all.  My dad has been running for so long now that the act of running is a part of who he is, running isn't just something that he does for his health or to be prepared for the next race, it is as common to him as sleeping at night or brushing his teeth in the morning.  Think I went to deep there?  I've seen the look in his eye after a long (doctor forced) break from running, it's much like the look of an African lion patiently waiting, yet with full anticipation, while stalking prey.  

While I have your mental image in full focus, it's important to also acknowledge the supportive role that he has played in getting our entire family running.  I reluctantly joined him on some of the shorter runs when I was in grade school.  Still convinced that I didn't want to run, I never really did anything that could be considered "regular running".  That all transitioned in middle school when I got the wild idea that I was a sprinter and would be great at track.  Not missing a single beat, my dad jumped on board as my biggest fan!  All the way into high school he would be at every meet possible even volunteering to be a timer if needed just so he could be there and cheer.  As the distances that I raced got longer, he was there with off-season training plans to keep me moving.  Throughout my high school years, I'm a firm believer that my dad would have been the best track coach in the history of coaches.  He even helped coach my sister into running in the Chicago Marathon!  Not to mention my mom, who went from not running at all to now having just completed her 7th marathon all thanks to morning and afternoon "run-dates" with her main squeeze!  I can't imagine any of us having these experiences without his dedication and passion to running.

When my dad came to me with an idea to start a simple Facebook group with the sole purpose of getting others motivated to run, I was immediately on board.  It seemed simple enough, challenge people to run everyday from Thanksgiving to Christmas and see if it would create a habit.  The challenge then became a daily shout out about a workout or run, which garnered the attention of someone else wanting to get started, which sparked another's desire to get back into running.  I'm proud to be a part of something that has now grown to quite a large smathering of like-minded, sometimes a little "out-there" individuals!  The group runs and challenges have been met with enthusiasm that is absolutely contagious and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this fun little group!  But I can't read a single post and click the "like" button without being reminded that this is because my dad has stayed dedicated to running throughout his lifetime and my own to spread the joy that we get from running.  So, as we hit the 2 year mark, our most excellent DRC, I just want to say "Thank YOU" dad for everything!


Drew Beaty is a proud son and an occasional ultra runner.