Fueling dreams along the way

(by Rashmi) 

It is not often that a race event catches my fancy.  I am hardly one of those people that connects with the road and blends in to feel the oneness with running.  Despite my natural reluctance to participate in any event that requires physical exertion, the ILP race for literacy 2008 called to me.  Perhaps it was the varied alternatives they offered for the seasoned veterans as well as the hesitant novices.  Or maybe it was my friendly neighborhood ILP volunteer twisting my arm.  But almost certainly, the underlying feeling of contributing towards a worthy cause played a part in me signing up.

Living in the Bay Area, it’s not like we ever have bad weather.  There are only 3 states – good weather, better weather and the best weather.  However, the winter months can get most of us a little crabby about having to spend most of our time indoors. 

The ILP Race, usually scheduled in May, is a perfect community event for breaking us out of our hibernation to fully take in the magic of spring.  Plus it is also a perfect foreword to the running season that leads onto many more marathons in the area.  When I was convinced of participating, I managed to rope all my friends in too.  It snowballed into a group activity for a Sunday morning. 

On the day of the event, armed with water, snacks, hats and a stroller, and reluctant and sleepy kids, I headed to the venue.  I later found out that other than the stroller and the hats, I did not need much else.  The ILP volunteers were out there in full strength, directing the cars to the parking lots, manning the bib counters and the on-the-spot registration tents.  All the processes were smooth, despite the milling crowds.   At 9 am, without any delay, the race began.  The serious runners (10K and 5K) took off on the USTAF certified course, while the rest of us walkers left soon after at a much easier pace. 

The trail along Shoreline Park was scenic and held just the right level of challenge. Along the way, every few kilometers, were water stops, where we got some much needed hydration and encouragement for us to keep going.  We would cheer the runners who were on the way back having covered more distance than I could ever hope for in 35 minutes, regardless the toddler on my hip.  Amidst much ribbing and laughter, when we finally got to the finish line, it was an exhilarating feeling – of having achieved something, of having helped in the smallest way we could.

With the tough work out of the way, we were all set to have fun.  And ILP provided us much opportunity to do that.  There were stalls for mehendi artists, balloon art, face painting and the like that kept the under 9’s extremely happy.  And the delectable food that kept the rest of us thrilled!  A really hearty Indian breakfast with desserts, sweets and the most crumbly coffee cake could please anyone!  They even had strawberries, fresh juices and milkshakes for that health kick.  As we were sprawled out on the grass, the whole atmosphere felt like a picnic.  I had not had so much fun and not felt guilty about it in a very long time.  I even got to take home a little goody bag with an elegantly designed ILP T-shirt.

Alongside all this activity, the prize distribution began.  It was very gratifying to see so many people recognized especially the really young ones.  The raffle winners were announced next and some really happy camper was seen walking away with the pair of wireless, noise canceling Bose headphones that I had been coveting.  But it was impossible for me to feel any envy or unhappiness that day because I was much too delighted with everything else.

Kudos to ILP for everything that they do.  From the remarkable arrangements, the professional way in which they conducted the event, and most importantly the noble underlying cause that they work tirelessly for – raising funds to provide literacy for women and children in India.  I would walk a hundred such races in order to be able to assist them in their mission.  Thank you ILP, for giving me the opportunity to help.