A bit of magic I saw at IM St. George

After the finish, I realized I had parked somewhere that was blocked in by the race so I just hung around for the duration, chatted with finishers, got a massage, ate, ate, and ate some more, etc.

At 11 pm, I headed for the bleachers at the finish to watch the last hour. That was the first time I had done that and it delivered all of the wonderful things I had heard so much about. It was great fun to just watch all of the excitement, especially after such a long day. Despite everything that had happened that day with the wind (in case you didn't hear, it was a bit breezy at SG this year), what I remember most about the day is what happened next.

When the last finishers had arrived and midnight passed, the crowd dispersed with everyone still feeling the magic, or so it seemed. As I walked towards my car along the finish area barricades that were now vacant of the revelers who had been so boisterous minutes before, there was near silence. Then I saw one young man, perhaps around 11 or 12 years old, in a red baseball cap standing along the barricade, his eyes fixed up the street. He looked stunned and sad. Oh no, is he still waiting for someone to finish? Then I saw who I assume was his mother, camera in hand, looking up the street and wiping away a tear. My heart sank, but I couldn’t turn away. Minutes passed and nobody else was coming. The boy moved away from the barricade, head down, and sat on a nearby curb. I passed to the other side of the street, but I couldn't leave. Then there was word that someone was coming. Shouts passed from person to person about who was it was. Could this be the person the boy was waiting for? It was! He jumped up and ran over to the barricade and began shouting for his father, joy restored. I pulled out my phone and shot a video as the father passed and the boy held up his own camera to capture the moment of his father reaching the finish, whether anybody else was there to notice or not. I could tell he was going to support his father no matter what and was just as proud as any other kid whose father reached the line before midnight. The time didn't matter. That is what the spirit in this sport is about. None of us could do this without the support of our loved ones. I finally headed back to my car with a smile on face and a lump in my throat, but a happy one.

Brad

They didn't pull racers off the course after the cut off? Seems strange, and very unsafe.

Good on the guy for finishing though.