Sara Hall proves the human spirit is alive and well, and you can find it at the end of a marathon.
I think it is safe to say that if you were not sincerely moved by Sara's performance in the London Marathon, you are made of stone. That was simply an incredibly inspiring moment in sport. Sara's run that day encompasses why each and every one of us does this. She embodied the human spirit, the will to go on, and showed that the feeling you get from leaving it all out there hurts way better than not. She showed that perseverance comes from running your race, staying within yourself, keeping your head about you, and keeping those fleeting Debbie Downer thoughts exactly that: fleeting.
You never ever ever give up.
It is not over 'til you cross that finish line.
And even then, it's still not over.
Because there will always be another finish line.
It doesn't matter if you've missed the mark before.
It doesn't matter if you've missed your goal before.
It doesn't matter if you've dropped before.
You'll hear what you tell yourself.
It's never too late.
Find the will within you to go after it.
You can dig a little deeper.
And you will find that fighting spirit.
The marathon is long and hard. It is not won in the first miles. The race is made in the last miles, after thousands and thousands of steps have been taken. And still you fight. And still you dig deep. You're never too old, or too professional, or too cool, or too anything to make that ugly ass race face and fight for what you want.
Sara is 37 years old, the oldest on the all-time list. She is older than the other 9 women on the top 10 all-time list by an average of 6.6 years. Sara has had a tough last year racing. She dropped from the TCS NYC Marathon in 2019. Then she dropped out of the Olympic Trials marathon in February. But then she got a personal record in the half marathon running with only 5 other people during the pandemic. Now she ran another personal record in the marathon this year. And she was the first American woman to make the podium in the London Marathon in 14 years.
Sara reminded us that really being grateful is shown through action, and it means showing up with everything you have. Sara truly tried. She showed us trying. She showed us what effort looks like. She showed us what heart looks like. That is what we do this for. We don't do this so the race can be easy. We must always try, and trying our best is hard. But it's so worth it.