My First Marathon
On October 10th, 2020, I will be running my first marathon- a fresh 42km spanning the distance from my home in North York to the Toronto waterfront. It will take me approximately 3 hours and 45 mins, 8 energy gels and a loving brother on a bicycle following me and carrying my water.
I have been running seriously for almost two years. The flame was ignited the summer of 2018 by Kris Tong from the Borromeo Quartet at the Taos Music Festival. Kris ran a morning run club that made running fun- Chain Runs, Relay Races, Trail Runs, and a midnight hike at the end of the festival. The festival culminated for me with the Taos 10k Up and Over, a silly race up and down a mountain. It doesn’t sound that intense until you realize your starting elevation is 9,200ft and in 5k you ascend to 11,812ft… and you’re expected to RUN. Some crazy people did run, but I was confident in my brisk hiking pace that I had been practicing all summer (because what else is there to do in an isolated ski valley during the summer?). Thanks to my competitive spirit, I won 3rd place in my age category, winning 20$ cash and a cool backpack. I had no expectations going in, but the rewards and recognition felt so good. So I decided to keep running.
Suddenly I started noticing my friends running half marathon races, and coincidentally the person I was dating ran their first marathon in the fall of 2018. Fuel was added to the growing flame of desire when faculty at the New England Conservatory cheered for Kris’ sub-3 hour 2019 Boston Marathon. I craved the honour and bragging rights of running a big race… but a marathon? Maybe we could start with a half marathon. I signed up for a race in October 2019, giving myself six months to train over Summer 2019. I went to the Perlman Music Program that summer and started running with a fellow student who was an experienced marathoner. He pushed me to run my first 8, 9 and 12 miles. October rolled around, and I ran my first Half Marathon in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. It completely wiped me out- I slept for the entire afternoon and evening after the race. But it felt so good! I loved the way my body felt and the prolonged “runner’s high”, perhaps induced by pride and ego. But like a drug addict, the high only lasted so long and I needed more. I signed up for two more half marathons in November and December, and got faster with each race.
On Thanksgiving Thursday, I set out for a casual 4 mile run along my favourite Riverside route from 96th to Pier 99 at 59th St. That run turned into a spontaneous 18 mile run all the way down and around to the Brooklyn Bridge. Somehow I didn’t collapse, and promptly signed myself up for the Queens Marathon in March 2020.
We all know how this story goes… the pandemic hits, New York becomes a world hotspot, and Sophia gets out of the city ASAP. The world is in confusion, everyone starts Zooming, and my marathon dream fades.
But only temporarily.
July rolls around and I decide it’s time to take charge of my running again. I sign myself up for a virtual race, and off I go. But this time, it’s not going to be all about me. I recruit 37 musicians to run with me and raise money (fund-race) for Back on My Feet, a national organization operating in 13 major cities across the US, combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Back on My Feet recruits individuals at homeless or addiction and treatment facilities around the country.
I chose to support this charity because running has changed my life over the past two years, and I believe it can change other lives too. I believe in Back on my Feet’s model of using running as a vehicle for social change, community building and personal accountability. Long term, I hope to do the same by empowering musicians to take to the streets and get moving, in exercise and social activism.
Running is a solitary sport and has brought about a uniquely personal journey for me, but I believe it can also bring people together and do good in the world.
