"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." – Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the word that will most be associated with Sunday morning for YHC. JRR Tolkein had faith to bring his awesome vision of SPEEDFORNEED to life. Deanna and Jonathan had so much faith to go on their jouney of adoption with their three AMAZING boys; Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray. Not to mention their faith in letting this fine group of men take their sons on a 3.1 mile journey at high speeds (absoluetly flyin' Sunday morning) down Jetton Rd. YHC had faith in the LKN pax to bring SFN to our region. And YOU, the LKN pax, had faith in doing the hard thing on an early Sunday morning. Faith.
Fortunately, it is easy to have faith in this region. You men have proven time and time again that the hard thing is the easy thing. That you will rally and support and love on your brothers no matter the time and no matter the cause. 3 months ago when we decided to give this race a go, we didn't have riders or pax to run. We just had faith. And as the LKN region does, you rallied and supported and loved on your brothers. This is our story:
40+ pax (including Heely, Exit 54, and others not listed on the F3 LKN site – please comment below as I don't want to leave anyone out) & countless M's and 2.0's (Maggie, Abigail, PB&J, Watson and others) took to Jetton Village to race the Run for Your Life Novant Health 15K/5K with RuiRay, JJ, and Jayson in the SPEEDFORNEED racing chairs.
WARM-A-RAMA:
Tolkein and YHC met at 0630 to unload and setup. It wasn't long before Sensei, Lego, and the pax started rolling in. And they kept coming and coming. As we finished setup, we had 40+ pax enjoying some coffee, donuts, and fellowship. Our track commanders weren't far behind and the morning started to get a different feel. All the pax were AWESOME in welcoming Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray by way of high fives, fist bumps, and encouraging words. Each track commander got a tour of the start line and tested out their chair. We got the boys strapped in and ready to race. Immediately, they gravitated towards revving up the pax to see who was the fastest and to get it on video.
Hippie took the lead and got the pax warmed up:
SSH x 10 IC
Mericans x 10 IC
IST x 10 IC
Mountain Climbers x 10 IC
We then brought it in for a quick prayer and we were off to the gazebo for a group picture before heading to the start line. So much fun seeing the huge smiles on all three boys' faces as we sat at the start line waiting to go. They were pumped to go fast and go wheels up!
THE THANG:
Shot out of a cannon Sunday morning…that's the only way to describe the start. That happens when you put Lego, Honeybee, and Smokey on the front end of any race but behind a racing chair only motivated them, it seemed. The only three racers ahead of SFN were Heely, Gray Ghost, and El Chapo (no surprise there). And this crew wouldn't look back. The track commanders wouldn't allow it. There were about 1,400 seconds in this race and these boys loved every single one. Awesome to see so many pax moving at such a great pace. And with a handful of shovel flags. Checking Strava after was just PR after PR after PR.
3.1 miles down Jetton Rd with a quick turnaround in a neighborhood and back to the finish. F3 LKN…we smoked it!
Is there a record book setup for the fastest SPEEDFORNEED race because YHC is pretty sure that Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray should have their names etched in lights.
It was really cool to be at the finish line as the rest of the pax flowed through some with their M's and 2.0's. Even cooler to see all those pax that came out just to support our track commanders and runners. Thank you!
Recover recover
COT
MOLESKIN:
First off, thank you to Deanna, Jonathan, Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray for being a part of this AWESOME morning. Thank you to JRR Tolkein for his leadership and vision to bring Sunday morning together. Thank you to Run for Your Life for integrating SPEEDFORNEED into the race. And thank you to all the pax and M's and 2.0's for showing up and running and volunteering and cheering us on. YHC is so humbled and honored to have been a part of such an extraordinary effort Sunday morning. It was truly an honor to push just part of this awesome journey.
Congrats to all those that placed in the race as Heely, Gray Ghost, and El Chapo swept the top finishers for the men in the 5K. Several FiA ladies were on the podium for the women's 5K (awesome work ladies). And Auto and Magnus took home honors in the Clydesdale category. Not to mention all the pax on Strava that had PRs Sunday morning. You guys rocked it.
We strive in F3 to be the light for those that need it most. It is interesting that SPEEDFORNEED was born to give those an experience that they couldn't otherwise have on their own and thats what Sunday morning was about. But it wasn't only Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray that had an experience that they couldn't otherwise have had on their own. Red October said it best "That was easily my best 5k I've ever run. It was great seeing everyone and pushing those boys was amazing. I've never felt faster!" From the boys to their parents to the pax and other runners. This was most definitely an experience that none of us could have had on our own.
There were so many lights shining bright on Sunday morning by the pax and their families. Perhaps none as bright as the Patterson family though. Jayson, JJ, and Rui Ray were the stars of the day. These three kids, alongside their parents, Deanna and Jonathan, lit up the race and with it the LKN pax. These three boys were as engaging as 5-10 year old kids can be. And you would never know that they have a condition called arthrogryposis just by talking with them. In it to win it is the only way to describe their inspiring attitude. They wanted to go fast from the minute they got in the chairs. And it was awesome to see them engage the pax. From Rui Ray telling Turnpike he looked like the fastest F3er to JJ and Olive taking pics with the Sweet Tooth flag. And Jayson giving high five after high five. Rui Ray even pushed YHC in the racing chair after the race. These boys just didn't stop. And neither did their parents. So many pax took the time to listen to their story and hear about both the challenges and successes in their lives.
On that note, check out their basketball team, the Rollin' Hornets and give them a follow on twitter, @RollinHornets. They play in the area and would love your support if you can make a game!
The best part is that Sunday was not just the culmination of a race but the start of a movement. With faith comes hope and my hope is that SPEEDFORNEED can continue to be a vehicle we use to bring a bright light to others in the Lake Norman area…be it a future track commander that needs help over the finish line or a sad clown that needs this group in their life or a member of the pax that is ready to take his first shot at leading. Let's continue to be that light for the person that needs it most. AYE!
Don Ho
P.S. I'm sure there were numerous moments that I missed during Sunday morning so please comment on your favorite moments from the race. Also, please let me know if I left anyone out to be sure that we capture everyone involved in this perfect morning.
***Check back later this week as we will have the official LKN SPEEDFORNEED race video posted***