Have you ever thought about joining a running club? If so, what were the reasons you wanted to join? Maybe you wanted to join because you wanted to lose some weight, maybe you wanted to join because you wanted to run a marathon, maybe you wanted to join because you wanted to make some new friends. If you have joined a running club you will know that all these things are possible. However, if you were thinking about joining a running club because you wanted to be a hero, then you are likely knocking on the wrong door. Unless that was the Annenberg Lunchtime Running Group, who recently all became heroes.
The Annenberg Lunchtime Running Group is similar to many other running groups around the world. It is a small group of people who meet in their local community at lunchtime and go for thirty minute runs together. They offer each other support, help each other reach their goals, and form some great friendships along the way. This running group is slightly different in that they often ask one runner to give a lecture to the others during the run based on their expertise. This may mean one giving a lecture in bitcoin while the next run someone may talk about potty training two-year-olds. However, although a fantastic idea, that is not the reason we are talking about this running group today.
On one particular day, the Annenberg Running Group was doing their prerun stretches and waiting for a few people who were slightly late. Before the latecomers arrived someone when sprinting past them. Our running group looked on, admiring a fellow runner in the world, looking at his cadence, his gait, and other running words that no one really understands. Looking back one runner says that he was probably running at around 4.30 min per kilometer pace. Fast, pretty fast.
Right behind the runner came someone out of breath and clearly distraught. The runner was not any runner, he was a thief and had stolen a laptop and phone. The running group didn’t need to say anything. They took one look at each other and did what all running groups are destined to do, they gave chase. They chased the runner for a few kilometers down the street. He had a good lead, to begin with, but they slowly closed the gap. In the distance, there was a construction site and when the thief reached it, he disappeared.
The group split up. One runner on each street surrounding the construction site ensuring he could not getaway. However, they couldn’t spot him. They started to knock on doors in the area to see if anyone had seen him. Little did they know he was hiding behind a bush beside one of the residential houses. He was so close to being caught.
As the running group went from house to house he knew it was only mere moments before they would see him behind the bush. As the group went through the houses, his opportunity for escape diminished. Finally, as one resident answered the door he took his chance and tried to flee the scene. He turned a corner thinking he had escaped the running group and was caught by campus police. They had followed the running group and were also looking for the villain.
If it hadn’t had been for the running group he would have got away. The police thanked the running group for helping them track the runner down. Clearly joining a running group is a fantastic idea. While you will certainly get fitter, faster, and have more friends, you may also become a hero.
