This morning, my morning run shall be both a solo jaunt and one in which I run with countless other members of the Herd. Today, I participate in the 2020 Run With the Herd Virtual 5K, which is how the good folks who run Buffs4Life are ensuring that the 8th Annual Kyle MacIntosh Memorial 5K takes place in the Age of COVID-19.
Kyle MacIntosh was a track-and-field athlete at CU-Boulder. A Colorado kid (he was from Littleton), he ran track for the Buffs from 2010 through 2013. He graduated in December, 2013 with a degree in Communications. Unfortunately, in December, 2013, he was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma. He died on January 29, 2015. He was twenty-three years old.
A couple of days following his death, in a different but not entirely dissimilar weigh station on the information superhighway, I wrote something about Kyle, his family, and their strength in the face of unquestionably unfair and ultimately insurmountable circumstances. Shortly after I wrote it, I received a very nice note via e-mail from Kyle's sister, Kendra Daniels.
COVID-19 has thus far proven to be good for very little, if anything at all. However, this year is the first year I shall participate in the Kyle MacIntosh Memorial 5K. It is held annually, in Colorado, in June, which is someplace where I am not. Under normal circumstances, that would prevent me from participating this year. Nothing about 2020 has been normal. So, this morning I shall participate from approximately 1800 miles away, in the early morning heat and humidity of June in Jersey. And it shall be my pleasure and my privilege to do so.
Shoulder to Shoulder. Same as it ever was.
-AK
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