A True Sherpa = A Real Friend

According to Wiki, "The term sherpa refers to guides for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas, particularly Mt Everest. They are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain, as well as having good physical endurance and resilience to high altitude conditions." In the sport of running we use the same term to refer to support guides. They have many of the same characteristics of a mountain sherpa. Expert in the sport, possess physical endurance and resilience, and a great guide.

And I had an expert last week. Early on a Tuesday morning, 4am, Wendy Hazelwood met me for my 20 mile training run. Meeting up with someone at 4am to do a long run is really no big deal if both of you have to do the run. Maybe one of you has to go out of town and you will miss your weekend run with your group. So, one of your good friends volunteers to join you early on another day and do the whole run with you. Now this friend has the benefit of getting their weekend back to do something else. It's mutually beneficial.

That is not the case here. I had to leave last Tuesday for Detroit and would be gone through the weekend. I knew the likelihood of me completing a 20 mile run there was very remote. When I told Wendy about my trip and that I would need to run 20 miles early on Tuesday morning, she said, "I'll run some of it with you". Great, I took that to mean that I would see her along my route at about 6am while she's out for her regular run and she would run along side for a while. That would have been nice, but that's not what she meant.

She meant that she would meet me at 4am, 4AM, and run her required 6 miles that day, then she would get on her bike and ride along side me for the remaining 14 miles (not one time did she ride too far ahead of me - how hard was that). It also meant that she would get on gmaps pedometer and vet out our 20 mile course, complete with multiple water stops. Further, it also meant that she would have a supply of Gatorade and hydration drinks for me. Now if that's not Sherpa I don't know what is.

She's done this for many other people, I'm not the special one. She is. It's just her character. And it is this kind of character that I see from many people everyday in this Dallas running community. That is what makes me just love this sport.

So, if you see Wendy Hazelwood over the next several days, do me a favor...walk up to her, pat her on the back and say, "Don says thanks".

Never, never, stop running!