Why I Ran: A Team Sharsheret Athlete’s Story

Why I Ran: A Team Sharsheret Athlete’s Story

As all greDevorah Katzat adventures do, this one started on Facebook and a post by Rochelle Shoretz, the Founder of Sharsheret, about running the NYC Half Marathon. In an instant, when some of the best decisions are made, I hopped on the band wagon and said, “I should run in honor of my 40th birthday.” And there began a journey so powerful it will move me for years to come.

Sharsheret stands for so many things: strength, determination, happiness, sadness, loss, education, advancement, belief, and friendship. In all of that, we cannot forget that Sharsheret literally means chain or link. Apropos, that while I am not a survivor of or battling breast cancer, every single one of the mentioned attributes of Sharsheret applies to me. It all felt right, from creating a page to raise money for a cause so dear to my heart to crossing the finish line into the arms of my silent mentor and a woman who means so much to me and stands for the very strength we all encompass, yet do not all tap into.

There I was Sunday morning, freezing just a little and alone in my corral. The beauty and tranquility of New York City’s Central Park, even surrounded by 25,000 runners, was overwhelming, and the tears flowed. I was a week from turning 40. I had overcome many obstacles in my life and lost close to 100 pounds. I had shed a belittling shell that had overshadowed my whole sense of self and I was about to run 13.1 miles. That’s right: 8 months ago I could not walk up a hill and now I was dressed head to toe in pink, representing breast cancer survivors and those who have yet to learn of their battle.  And I was going to do it, determined to outrun the sweeper bus.

Not prepared for what came next is an understatement. Mile one, mile two, mile six and a promise of coming out of Central Park and on to flat terrain. As I entered mile 12 – and believe me when I tell you that my legs were back at mile 4 – I had a new power on my side: Belief, the belief that no matter what happened, I would cross the finish line. I would cross the line not just for me, although this will always be one of my greatest achievements. I completed sore and exhausted in 3 hours and 16 minutes for Team Sharsheret. I was a part of something bigger than me, more intense than I can fully comprehend and it will remain one of the proudest days of my life.

To join Team Sharsheret for the 2014 NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 2nd, visit: http://bit.ly/1g0NLI0.

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