By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
Tears are the reflection of the extreme emotions of our lives. We shed them out of love when our kids are born but also when a loved one passes away. We shed them out of joy over a personal accomplishment or when we enjoy someone else’s triumph, graduation or wedding; but also when we share our frustrations, failures, or broken hearts with those closest to us. Tears of joy are so ubiquitous that they even have their own emoji.
When it comes to running, it is no different. Why would it be?
Crying on the last few meters of the 2022 Houston Marathon, 7 months after open-heart surgery.
When I was 17, I went to Kilometer 30 (Mile 19) of the 1982 Caracas Marathon, where my dad was going to run in a friend. What I experienced there was so overwhelming, that on a whim, I jumped in and ran the last 12 Km (about 7.5 miles) to the finishing area. The tears I witnessed, changed my life.
I saw grown-up men crying out of frustration when they could not run any longer and had to walk. I saw every type of emotion reflected in the faces and bodies of those I passed. And I saw tears of joy as runners approached the finish line with smiles covering their faces. I was hooked. I had to experience those extremes. I didn’t know when, but I knew that one day I would run a marathon myself. That day came sooner than later, when I finished my first marathon a few weeks later, but that is a story for another day.
If I teared up or cried during my first life as a runner, I honestly don’t remember. Maybe since I was still a teenager, I thought I was invincible, and running marathons in the 3:30 range, or better in the near future, would last forever. Who knows? My first knee operation, in 1986, gave me a reality check.
I was training for the 1986 Caracas Marathon, trying to approach the 3-hour mark, when I hit my knee and ended up under the knife just 6 weeks prior to the race. I cried out of frustration when I saw my two training partners finishing in 2:56 and 3:04. But that is life.
The first time I vividly remember crying while running, was as I crossed the finish line of the 2012 Philadelphia Marathon. It was my first marathon since December 1985. A 26-year hiatus. Since then, not only I had two left-knee surgeries, but after the one in 2004, at age 39, I asked the doctor if he thought I could ever complete another marathon. He told me, in no uncertain terms, to forget it. It was not going to happen.
So, as I approached the finish line through the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on that cold November day in Philadelphia, as I was praying in thanks to God for giving me this remarkable opportunity, I started feeling a knot in my throat. Once I was able to distinguish the finish line in front of me, tears started running down my cheeks. When I hugged my wife a few yards after the end, I was openly sobbing. This feeling was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.
I have cried again on the asphalt. I did so at the finishing of the Den Haag Half marathon, my first running half after three years of racewalking. I also cried at the start of the New York City Marathon in 2017, still trying to grasp that I was there again after 32 years, ready to absorb the experience. I shed some tears at a small 5K in late 2019, my first competition after a heart procedure. And I hope I can cry some more, soon. It can only mean I am alive, overcoming obstacles and still running.
I would love to hear your crying-while-running-stories. You can share them in the comment section, below.
Se siente un gran alivio y satisfacción cuando se expresan los sentimientos a plenitud.
❤️
Loved this post. I cried when I saw the finish line in NY in 95, I had finally made it, my first Marathon. Then I met my dad who finished a couple of minutes ahead of me and I was drenched in tears of joy when we embraced.
20 years later, in CAF 2015 in Caracas I remembre a friend finishing his first marathon (my second) telling me that he was in tears and didn’t know why. I told him to enjoy his tears, they were well deserved.
Thank you for sharing your story. I loved it. There can’t be many marathoners who haven’t cried while running.
There are no words that could express that or any higher emotion… simply capture the moment, enjoy the ride…
Thanks for sharing this 😊
I cried when I finished my first an only marathon in Belfast in 2012 under horrible weather conditions. It was a big personal challenge. I hugged the the guy who gave me my medal and started crying… Poor guy. Fantastic feeling though!!!
Thank you for sharing this story. It must have been an incredible experience, especially under such weather conditions. A few good tears are definitely welcome after such effort.
Thank you for sharing! Made me go back to when I completed the Marine Corp marathon 🥺
It is rare that someone doesn’t cry at finish of their first marathon. It is a wonderful satisfaction that will never come again.
I only wish to cry a lot too!
Awwwh!!! 😪 you have overcame alot. God bless you. I feel you, I cry 😢 watching a movie. I cry running. I’m sure I cried several races but the one that stays with me is in 2016 my very first FULL marathon 26.2 wow, I did it. My dad passed away 3 months prior and when I was at mile marker 23, I cried remembering him, I had 3. 2 miles left,I recall training 23 miles so this was going to be the most I’ve ran. Tears, tears . Dax, Jean Belair you won’t be here to see my medal, but you will always be in my heart was what I said to myself. This past weekend I ran Keys 100 my first official 50k tears welled up as I got closer to the finish line… I have tears of joy as well as sorrow at time when I train or race. My mind think of different situations, passing of my aunt 😕recently this past May 2nd mile 26 she came to mind as I raced, she was my father’s sibling. God bless her soul to see 91. I miss them.. well, Adolfo here you go. Thanks for all your wonderful blogs. Blessings.