Road Warriors

Earlier this week I was driving down one of the many country roads in the area that I live. I smiled. Ahead of me was a runner. Now this is not an ordinary runner. I have driven down this road many, many times over the years and the first time I noticed this man running on the road was perhaps five, maybe six years ago. He has become a fixture on the road. I see him often.

The man is young, but his gait and something about him makes me think that he had a date with fate and the run was a mere therapeutic exercise. What is strange, to me at least, is that he still runs at the same pace, with the same small mincing type of steps, as he did when I first saw him all those years ago. His lean and muscular legs could surely cover more ground with each step, I am certain that he could even pick up the pace. In my mind’s eye view I see him running a marathon - he's a road warrior, after all! Seeing him this week got me wondering, is it his mind that has him trapped on this familiar treadmill or is it my mind that is trapped into thinking that he can do better?

Today at four o’clock I thought about this man, a road warrior of sorts - funny, I’ve never given him a name - and other images of road warriors I’ve come across flooded my mind. One of the most notable ones goes back to when I was still commuting to a day job. I would drive in on the freeway and enter the city over the Oak Street Bridge.

Typically it would be about 8.00 a.m. Every day without fail, was this young man, suited for work, earplugs in his ears attached to I gather a Walkman (in those days the ipod was a mere twinkle in Job’s eye, if that). He was Asian and, I surmised, on his way to work. I imagined that he worked for one of the hotels that were clustered on either side of the freeway just as the bridge ended – certainly there were no other types of businesses that would require one to dress in a suit.

He was a joy to watch. Listening to the music from his Walkman, he would be singing along with whatever it was that was playing, but he did more, his walk was more like a dance of a sort. His arms flailed and he punched into the air. Everyone driving gawked at him, but he didn’t care, and soon no one else did either, they just smiled. He became a fixture and I looked forward to seeing him. Somehow the sight of someone so energized gave me a lift and I too looked forward to the day. I wonder where this road warrior is these days. Perhaps managing a 5 star hotel or speaking in front of thousands as a motivational speaker?

Then there is the iconic image of a young man, hopping along on one good leg and on one that is a prosthesis. The ultimate road warrior. I speak of course of young Terry Fox who embarked on a cross Canada run to raise awareness of cancer. He never made it. The disease he was fighting took him before he could complete the run. Today there are Terry Fox Runs for Cancer all over Canada and each year millions of dollars are raised for cancer research. Ironically, with the advancements that medical scientists have made in this disease, had Terry lived today, he would have completed that run.

I wonder how many other road warriors there are out there? Is there someone you see on the road? Often? Is there something that sets them apart from others on the road? Have you wondered what they might be running for? Is that road warrior you?

quick links
Terry Fox - Marathon of Hope