I was lucky to have been given the chance to film and tell the story of the 2nd running of The Bull Runner Dream Marathon (http://thebullrunner.com/2011/03/21/part-1-dreams-can-come-true/).

From behind the lens, here are some of the images that stayed with me as we followed 312 who were running after their marathon dream:

At about 30k into the marathon, there was a couple who locked arms going up a hill .  Something in their body language told me they were married.  They crossed the finish line about 3 hours later, still hand in hand.   Somehow this image speaks to me about the nature of marriage more than anything i’ve seen or heard before.

There was a young guy in the medical tent not even halfway through and he looked like he was suffering.  He complained about knee pain and said it was bad.  30 minutes later he stood up and soldiered on.  I saw his parents 4 hours later and both were a little worried about him.  And if you’re a parent or a child who’s scared their parents with the crazy things they get into, you understand the look in the eyes of a worried mother.

There were families who slept by benches after that 2 am start.   With the other families, they cheered their hearts out when they glimpsed their loved one for about a minute as they passed.  They also cheered for everyone else who passed — offering encouragement and understanding of the amount of effort needed to get to 42k.  Everyone that day was family.

There was a guy who felt so grateful for all the help offered in the course that when both legs cramped in the finish line and 2 guys had to catch and carry him, he still kept on thanking everyone.

There were volunteer Dream Chasers that kept on going back to help those that needed some encouragement to get to the finish.  One of them paced the first one to finish and kept on going back till the last one crossed the line 9 hours after the starting gun.

There was a strong runner who was the first female to finish.  More than 4 hours after she crossed the line, I saw her pacing another female 400 meters to the finish.  She was holding the runner’s hand and the runner was crying & looked exhausted.

And there was two friends who went back at least 30 years — one was running his first marathon, the other was helping him get to the finish.   They hugged 50 meters from the finish and the pacer sent his friend off with a pat on the back to make it to a finish line that took  6 months of preparation, 6 hours of running, and a lot more than just determination to get to.  Despite the loneliness & suffering that 42k brings, all those who finished were never alone.  There were those who were there to suffer with them.

There were 312 individual stories that day that were fueled by the dream of running a marathon.   And like Jaymie (The Bull Runner) says “Running a marathon has more to do about life than running.”   The marathon speaks to us about life.  The long distance and the effort needed speaks to us and reveals to us who we are not just as individuals but as a community.   We have the ability to keep on going, to find something more inside greater than present pain.  We have the ability to understand in our bones what others go through and that connects us like family.  And we have the ability to give energy to others to keep them going and willingly choose to suffer with them.

One finisher said, “Running this distance will change your life.” I suspect that is true too for those who watched, supported and ran with the 312 who had the courage to run after their dreams that day.