"He started running on Sunday mornings (the only day of the week he didn't work) when I was in middle school, and he eventually graduated to 5Ks and half marathons. He spent years trying to convince me to join him, and he still dreams of us bonding over energy-gel brands and gait analysis. But running never gave me the feeling he described: fulfillment, a moment of calm."
"Then, in 2021, I witnessed the New York City Marathon. The race snakes through all five boroughs and is the most attended marathon in the world; more than 54,000 runners complete it every year, and an estimated 2 million people spectate. It's become an annual ritual for me to watch the marathoners from behind the street barricades. I've seen parents running to their kids, lovers sprinting toward a kiss, and friends handing a runner a beer so they can shotgun it together."
A father runs almost every day, beginning Sunday-morning runs in middle school and progressing to 5Ks and half marathons. He persistently tries to recruit his child, imagining shared conversations about energy-gel brands and gait analysis. The child never experienced runner's high or the calm fulfillment described by runners. In 2021 the child watched the New York City Marathon, a race that winds through all five boroughs with over 54,000 finishers and about two million spectators. Watching from behind barricades became a ritual that revealed intimate scenes: parents sprinting to children, lovers chasing kisses, friends handing beers, DJs on fire escapes, and giggling kids.
Read at The Atlantic
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