The Final Welcome

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Today was my last stint as the Welcome Committee chair. The weather was again perfect for both runners and volunteers. The setup and execution went swimmingly, thanks to the fabulous efforts of fellow Welcomers like Louise, Peter, Sally, Marison, Hutch, Cindy (especially Cindy!), Cathy and an injured but nonetheless enthusiastic and always-on-the-spot Irene. And everyone that returned to Hospitality Point looked tired but not terrible. I even was congratulated on being named Volunteer of the Week, and there was still plenty of food and even a few semi-solid popsicles and ice bags by the time the final runner arrived 5-1/2 hours later.

And yet, despite the great day, I sit here hours later with a heavy heart.

We were working the second water station, 7.4 miles into the 22-miler, when we heard an ambulance siren, and runners began to report someone had collided with a cylist about a half-mile up the road. The runner was my friend Vicki, whom I've written about on this blog before. Vicki knows many of my secrets, and I know hers, from years of running together. Vicki once made a special trip waaaaaaay out of her way to hand-deliver some Biofreeze at my home just before a marathon. If I'd have run today instead of volunteering, I'd have been running with Vicki when this happened.

From everything I've heard, a cyclist was zooming about 25 mph down a road in West Mission Bay and had already come close to clipping a couple of runners in this very large group (a little under 300) that, according to an earlier motorist,was stretched too far into the road at several points. Vicki had turned to tell her friends she was heading to a nearby restroom and by the time she turned forward again, the cyclists' helmet hit her square in the face. She broke bones and tore skin and was a bloody mess. The cyclist, I later learned, was in bad shape with a suspected spinal injury. He also was apologetic in the hospital, telling Vicki that as a triathlete he had a lot of respect for runners.

I tried not to let on how hard I took the news. Afterall, I was charged that morning with punctuating each runner's performance with good cheer. And despite the pall it held over the rest of the afternoon, I'm better now that I know Vicki's going to be OK. In fact, she was joking with her family hours later (God bless morphine!), which let's me know my dear friend may be down, but she's definitely not out. I hope the same holds true for the other injured party.


That's us 'Vanna-izing' the food display before the troops arrived.

[Photos by Cindy E.]

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