The reckoning of the lone wolf

My story about Hood to Coast and the power of team to level up to our best.

It’s wild to look back at moments and fully understand the fictional story that we’ve been telling ourself. I suppose this is part of self-defeat or simply a protective mechanism to remain ‘comfortable’. Being alone and doing things alone is absolutely necessary at times, but as I’ve been reminded of again and again we rarely operate at our edge when left to our own devices. My belief is that this is by design, on purpose, because we were meant to live and experience life in the company of others, in community, team, tribe, you name it.

I got a call from a friend and colleague of mine saying that there was a drop-out for this year’s team and that I was the alternate. For many being the ‘alternate’ may not come as a compliment, but it did to me. The reason being that a tight-knit group of guys had been doing this race together for many years and there was never an open spot, at least not until now. The race is called Hood to Coast and it’s the largest relay race in the world. Team of different sizes run, in sections, from the base of Mt Hood to the Seaside Heights on the Oregon coast- hence ‘Hood to Coast’! As I met most of the guys for the first time you can’t help but to size each other up- wondering what their physical capacity is and if you’ll be able to meet the expectation and prove your worth in sweat and pain. As we gathered together at the starting line, it was a wet and cold morning with the rain coming in sideway- not heavy but persistent. Each leg of the race differs from anywhere from 6-9 miles and I quickly realized that the energy, hype, and excitement awakened a deep competitive drive that had been dormant for some time. We somehow had another team running right next to us and we had decided to stick together. I had been given the second leg and as I stepped out of the van to take a pee, get warmed up, and meet another runner/teammate I casually said to him that I was going to ‘ease into the day’ and probably take things slow this first leg. He should go ahead and run a pace that suited him and I’d see him again at the next transition. He quickly replied that the main reason he was here was for the camaraderie and that he was happy to run together at whatever pace felt good. Little did I know that we would soon be running a sub-6:00/mile pace and flying into the early morning at top speed.