As part of my fraternity’s philanthropy, we raised money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Because of this, we decided to make an appearance at their annual 5K fundraiser.
So we jammed down to the Bay and crashed at Jett and Brandon’s house in Daly City – close to the racecourse.
The next morning, we’re at the SF Zoo. This year’s venue.
I was positioned in the middle, in a flash, the race started and I took off. I side-stepped hordes of joggers before I found myself near the front pack. My start was speedy but I was surprised at my standing. The room between the frontrunners and myself thinned and I realized I actually had a good shot to place.
We snaked through the zoo as incompetent volunteers worked to guide us the correct way. Next thing I know, the only person ahead of me is a guy with running shorts hiked up to an unflattering height – a college track or cross country athlete. He is so far ahead so I mentally settle for 2nd place.
We are about a third of the way in and I see Short-Shorts take the wrong turn. Noting his mistake, I went into overdrive and bolted.
I ran as hard as I could for the remainder of it. At the finish line, I collided with a wave of parents and strollers walking the course and slipped through them, securing the gold medal in front of the officials who weren’t anticipating runners being done yet.
It was a race won through strategy with a slight amount of athleticism.
I collected my plaque and went to check out the giraffes.
For years following this race, I still have received letters in the mail from St. Jude’s, almost weekly, begging for donations.