It was about 2:45 PM after the marathon, I was walking out of Central Park towards west side where my family was going to pick me up. For the first time, my older daughter Ami will not be there. She is away from home, pursuing education. She used to ask me blunt questions. Questions like this one she asked me after ’86 marathon- “Dad, what took you so long?” To her, Dad should have finished first, right? I replied “It does not matter how long it took, what matters is I finished what I started.”
Still waiting for my ride to arrive, I decided to find a spot to sit. This was not going to be easy as hundreds others seemed to have the same idea too. Finally, I spotted a newspaper cart with New York Times logo on it. It looked sturdy enough. Now wait a minute, I would not have thought of this at any other time visiting the big apple, but this was no ordinary time. This was after the marathon; the square-footage in Manhattan had just become a little bit more elusive. So with mixture of strange but relieved feelings, I planted myself and begin to stretch.
“Could you please move a little so my husband can sit?” Said the woman with some concern in her voice.
“Sure” I replied.
“Are you sure you will be fine?” she asked her husband, “…. I will not be long.” She said and off she went to fetch a ride so that they can finally go to the warmth of their hotel room.
He looked like a classical long distance runner. But he seemed to be in terrible pain, may be beyond a muscle pull. He could not bend his right leg from hip down. I decided to throw some encouragement his way.
“Cramps or pulls are just temporary”. My mind still fresh from the sign I spotted right before Queensboro Bridge that read “Pain is temporary, pride is for ever”.
“It is not a cramp or even a pull” he said. “ I tore groin muscle, around mile 9”
“Are you sure?” I said, surprised at his ability of self-diagnosis.
“Yes” he replied. “I had tore my left groin muscle few years ago. Now it is the right one. How ironic, huh? I know I just have to go through a surgery.” He added as a matter of fact.
I continued my train of thoughts full of assumptions. “Well, there will be another marathon. It is OK even if you had to drop out…” He interrupted me quickly and added “ Oh no, I did finish in 2:58 and change. It was just too cold and I never warmed up during the entire race. I decided to finish because this year was a reunion for me and my two buddies from Ontario since our first NYC marathon in 1978 and finishing was very important to me”. Emotions of pride and satisfaction now replaced pain and discomfort on his face as he talked.
Wow!! Running 2:58 after tearing a groin muscle at mile 9!! By this time, I decided to stop assuming and let him talk. It turns out, Bruce Trigg is a former elite runner (he is now 47) who ran track internationally for Canada in 10,000 meters. His best time for 10K on track was 28 minutes. In 1978 he finished NYC marathon 15th Overall!! But here he was, as humble as one can be, sharing emotions with a fellow marathoner about a race he had just finished, because finishing was important to him. Instantly, his story reminded me of a phrase I had read in a magazine. It went something like this – In marathon running, some times you start with your legs, but finish with your heart. I had just met a living proof of that.
Note – Next, read in his own words “Bruce Trigg story……
Reflections on Running & Life 