We Can Do Hard Things
Heroes. “We need them to get us through this challenging experience called life. Heroes help us survive, and they help us thrive. They help us through our worst times, and they prepare us for our best times. Heroes nurture us, save us, and help us become our best selves.” -Psychology Today, April 17, 2022.
I wasn’t sure how I felt when two U.S. military veterans approached me with their idea of bringing a “Heroes March” to North Platte and the Platte River Fitness Series. From the inception of the PRFS, I’ve held firm to the commitment I made to offer inclusive events where everyone, regardless of age or ability, could find a place of belonging at our starting line. The physical challenge of what they were proposing seemed daunting. I wasn’t sure how many in the fitness family and beyond would be willing to take on this new challenge. I must admit, I was very nervous. I had no doubt athletes would enter the run, but I was less sure about who and how many would embrace the ruck, essentially a competitive military-style hike. John and Joe’s vision, their attention to and care for the spirit of the event, and their willingness to honor our core value of events “with something for everyone” made it impossible to say anything but “welcome to the Platte River Fitness Series” to the Heroes March. I’m beginning to think this exhilarating new event is going to be special and that I am witnessing something remarkable take place as we approach race day.
As the entries come in and our athletes can be seen everywhere preparing for the ruck, my uncertainty has disappeared. It has been replaced with an incredible sense of pride. I see people all over town power hiking in their weighted vests or backpacks. I have been watching with awe at the way you have embraced this challenge, the challenge of stretching yourself, leaving the comfort of the 5K or 10K, discovering even more of your incredible potential. Athletes have studied the training techniques. They have done their homework, asked questions, given honor to the challenge being offered. Some of you are competing in races with your packs on in preparation for the challenge yet to come, sacrificing in the immediate sense your race for more preparation for the ruck. Some of you are racing and then grabbing your pack for a few more miles of practice. It fills me with such wonder to see people, to see you, look squarely at this endeavor with steely determination and say “yes”. “Yes, I can.”
Each time an entry comes in from one of our own or from a new friend we can’t wait to meet, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful to John and Joe not only for their service to our country, but for their service to our community by offering this new test of our determination and strength. I am grateful to Adams Bank & Trust for their willingness to partner with the Heroes March, combining the Twilight 5K and the Heroes March into one epic and unforgettable weekend of character-building effort. Most of all, I am grateful for people like you, our athletes, who are embracing this challenge, admittedly nervous, but undeterred.
As if the Twilight 5K and Heroes March, the Double Time Double, wasn’t challenge enough, many of you will end a busy June with the gloriously hilly Sillassen Half-Marathon or 5K. In between, you will be racing on the roads during NebraskaLand Days, North Platte’s oldest race. I am in awe of this community of people, people willing to turn full face to what will test them and transform them. It takes courage to complete the mission. It takes heroes to be open to the transformation it brings. I believe June will be a transformational month for all of you.
You are my heroes. It is a privilege to bear witness to your efforts over and over again. I get a front row seat as you battle your way to each finish line. No race is “just another race.” Each race brings uncertainty and requires us to bring forth our best, the very essence of us. Each race is a singular effort of genuine achievement but made more meaningful in a community of others putting forth the same effort. We need struggle. We need to do hard things. We also need to give our struggle meaning, and we need a community of support to help us. We will be surrounded by heroes on race day. At the Heroes March, we will be joined by service men and women and the people who support them following their service, particularly those who return home to the struggle that is PTSD. The sponsors of our four June races are heroes, as are the volunteers who show up solely in the service of our athletes and the cause to which the race is dedicated. June will truly be a month of heroes.
There are several options to meet you where you are. You can compete in the Heroes March as a run only with no weight. There are 2 distances to choose from, 6 miles and 12 miles, and even then, you can partner up to half the distance for each athlete. Three miles or six miles can be done with a friend. If this is the best fit for you, please join us! In the spirit of military service, the ruck honors the military standard, and yet, while honoring the standard, there is still the option to go 6 miles or the standard 12, with or without a partner. Our race director-soldiers adjusted the weight requirement for the youngest and the oldest in the field. To be sure, those who take on the ruck, especially the solo ruck will be rewarded with PRFS points worthy of the effort.
Thank you, as June heats up, both in terms of the temperature and the race calendar. Thank you for being willing to be stretched, to be tested, to grow, to look for and find all of your crazy, beautiful potential. It is there. I see it even if you sometimes don’t. You are strong as an individual. Together, as you share this epic month of racing, you will be unstoppable.