Terror in America: The Running Community Responds

Former American 800-meter standout Ray Brown went to work on September 11 expecting it to be like any other day. Brown works at Lehman Brothers, whose New York City offices were in the American Express Building, within shouting distance of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Like any aspiring player in the financial markets, Ray arrived early at work on September 11. You don't work 9 to 5 on The Street.

But a day that began with the details of high finance quickly turned into a haunting memory. The first plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:45 a.m.. Nobody panicked, said Brown. Everything was under control. People were told to stay in the building. Brown called his mother. He called his wife. He reassured them he was OK. Only days later did he recall a stray comments from a coworker: "Those Towers aren't all that stable."

At 9:03, the second plane hit. Still no panic, but Brown figured it was time to get out.

Ray didn't take anything with him. He thought he'd be back soon. Once outside, he and others could look up and see the damage. They realized that there would be no going back. That it was time to get away. To get away as the Towers began to collapse. To get away even as a thick cloud of smoke and debris turned a bright, sunny day into a black, ash-filled night.

You couldn't outrun the cloud, Brown remembers. It billowed out for at least a mile in all directions. Those who escaped from the buildings around the Towers began making their way uptown. Fleeing the smoke, choking, gasping for clean air. Someone told Brown to get something wet, put it over your mouth. For a moment, Brown thought of jumping into the nearby Hudson River to escape, but luckily the wet-shirt mask worked.

Brown got out of the cloud, could breathe again, and started walking home. Home was nearly five miles uptown on the east side of Central Park. Home was past the schools where children handed out water to the fleeing refugees of lower Manhattan. Home was where his wife was waiting anxiously for him, sitting on the stoop of their apartment, unable to make contact with her husband because the phones simply weren't working.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., Jeff Darman was just finishing his morning run. He'd been up early and left his hotel across from the Pentagon to get a workout before taking care of the final details for the race he was scheduled to direct the next day--the SGMA Capitol Challenge in downtown Washington.

During the run, Darman fell hard, scraping his knees. The fall caused him to think later, "What if?" What if he'd been hurt worse? If he had had to walk or otherwise delay his return to the hotel? Instead, he got back to the hotel, showered, and drove to his office in Alexandria, Virginia.

That's where he learned of the plane hitting the Pentagon. That's where he was when he decided the Capitol Challenge had to be cancelled. He began phoning team captains to let them know. He couldn't get through to many. The Capitol Challenge has teams from all branches of the U.S. Government, including FBI, Defense, CIA, even the media that covers Washington. "So many of our people were unreachable, because they were doing what they're paid to do," says Darman.

That evening, he returned to his hotel near the Pentagon. "What I remember is the smell," he says. "Once I got within about three-quarters of a mile, I could smell it. That acrid odor." The smell of death and destruction.

Across the ocean, in their altitude training retreat in France, Paula Radcliffe and her husband, Gary Lough, had the television on. "I was actually watching CNN as the story broke, so (I) witnessed what was going on as it happened," said Lough. "It certainly was a sad day not only for the US but for humanity as a whole."

Kenyan great Paul Tergat was flying to England for the Great North Run when he heard the terrible news. Tergat has relatives in the New York area, and spent his first day in England desperately trying to reach them. When he finally got through, he learned that they were okay. "It was a tense time for all my family," he said. "My thoughts go out to all the victims. It was atrocious and outrageous what happened in the United States."

In Minnesota, multiple NCAA distance running champion Carrie Tollefson was driving to practice, listening to the radio when the news broke. "We were on the way to a workout when the first plane hit," she says. "We went through the workout numb, not even knowing any details, just wondering what in the heck was going on. I think we all thought it was a mistake. Then by the time we were driving home, we were all in dead silence and didn't know what to do. We were in front of the TV all day. When it was time for our second run, it was pretty hard to get out the door. I felt awful the whole time I was running. Thinking how could I be out here at a time like this? I was running around the lakes and wondering the same about all of the walkers and bikers. It was my release that day, as it is many other days. It was a way for me to reflect and thank God for keeping me safe yet hoping it would all be gone the next day. It has been the topic of every run the past nine days, and it will be for many more."

In Lebanon, Illinois, 1976 U.S. Olympian Craig Virgin watched in horror: "It was just terrible. I read Tom Clancy's novel with a similar plotline several years ago and it is eerily similar. I am surprised that we weren't better prepared for this scenario due to the widespread acceptance of his novel. It is with cruel irony that I realize that myself and several US Olympic hopefuls back in 1980 were not allowed to compete in the Moscow Olympics because of the boycott, which mainly was a response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan! I wonder if Salt Lake City will face the specter of a boycott or if there is enough diplomatic consensus building that it will not be a problem."

Eddy Hellebuyck has only been an American citizen for the last couple of years, but he was deeply affected by the attacks. "Eddy could not train on September 11," says his wife and agent, Shawn Hellebuyck. "He could not stop watching the news and updates on television. It was our son's sixth birthday, and we did not want to celebrate. However because Jordan is 6, we did not want him to be afraid or wonder why we did not have his birthday party. When he heard papa was still planning to race Cow Harbor in New York on Saturday, he begged Eddy not to go to New York City." The event was cancelled the following day.

"Eddy instead raced in Santa Fe, the Rancho Viejo 10K on Sunday where he gave a small talk at the start of the race on how important America is to him," continues Shawn. "He told everyone how proud he is to represent the USA for various international events. He then asked the competitors for a moment of silence for the victims and their families."

In Michigan, Mike Burns, president/owner of Burns Computer Services and ChampionChip, also saw the tragedy unfold on TV. He saw the plane fly into the World Trade Center. "My first reaction was that this was a computer animation thing. It wasn't real. Then I had this deep burning anger," said Burns.

For Burns, however, his thoughts of retribution were soon replaced by another approaching event. His company was in charge of timing the Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run on Sunday, September 16.

In Philadelphia, race director Mark Stewart was in the race offices in Philly's World Trade Center. In the wake of the attack, the city ordered the building evacuated, as was happening in similar buildings in major cities all across America. At that moment, Stewart believed the race would have to be cancelled. When he was finally able to return to his computer, however, he discovered more than 50 e-mails that had been sent by runners, urging him not to call it off.

"The runners really pushed this, right from the start," says Stewart. "They had a lot of different reasons. Some of them said, 'I need it. It's a bad time. We've got to come together.' Some said, 'Don't let the terrorists win.'

"This is different than baseball or football. This isn't people cheering over who catches a ball. This is a participatory sport, and they're doing it for themselves. They're doing it to raise money for a neo-natal unit at Thomas Jefferson Hospital, for kids who have leukemia. They're raising money for the Red Cross."

Some had other motivations. Bob Vale of Plainfield, N.J. was an eyewitness to the destruction of the World Trade Center. Vale broke down and cried while talking about it to Ron Reid of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I lose my composure once in a while," said Vale, wearing star-spangled shorts and a shirt adorned with an American flag. "Running this race takes your mind off the events that happened in New York City. All I can say is - the poor people. God bless America. It's a shame this had to happen to bring the patriotism back to America."

Another perspective, from Jere Longman, a runner and a sportswriter for the New York Times, who lives in a Philadelphia suburb. "The Philadelphia Distance Run on Sunday was a throbbing scene of defiance and patriotism." Longman had seen the aftermath of the terrorist attacks firsthand when he was sent by the Times to help cover the crash of the fourth hijacked plane near Pittsburgh.

Before the start of the Distance Run, runners held hands during a moment of silence and sang "God Bless America." Many were moved by these moments. "I never cried at the beginning of a race before," said Margaret Fitzpatrick, a physical therapist from Erdenheim, Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia Daily News. "But I cried when we all sang 'God Bless America.' Guys were running carrying big flags the whole way, and everyone was wearing 
red, white and blue. It was pretty awesome. It was a great run."

Race director Mark Stewart again: "Our theme was, 'This race means coming together as a community, don't take that away from us.' Having runners from different countries, different religions, different races lined up shoulder to shoulder sends a different image than what was in our minds this week."

Former Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce told the Inquirer, "This starts off, I guess, a return to life. Here are a bunch of runners, they're telling me they're running for those who couldn't run, who hoped to run out of that building in New York, and couldn't. So it gives them a free mental state of healing. And you know runners--they're a bond unto themselves."

"Most of these people who are here are very introspective people," said Jim Walker, an officer of Northeast Roadrunners. "This is what they do, and I know that most of them are offering this as a remembrance." While some races had to be cancelled, including the Race for the Cure in New York City, most races went on as planned. The president of CVS pharmacies announced that the CVS Downtown 5-K in Providence, R.I., along with the previously held CVS Charity Golf Tournament, would donate $50,000 to the Red Cross.

The CVS Downtown 5-K was held Sunday, September 16, with Uta Pippig winning the women's division. Pippig had to fly in from Denver to enter the race. "The main thing was to be here and to show people who are not so lucky that we must go on without fear'" Pippig told the Providence Journal. "We had a rough time last week. We have to take action and be positive. We have to help those who lost their loved ones. We have to carry on and support them.

"It wasn't easy to fly in from Denver, but the heck with that. The main thing is that we are all here."

Michigan's Paul McMullen was similarly inspired. He had to get to San Francisco for his event, an invitational mile as part of the third annual "Champions Run for Children" at Kezar Stadium. McMullen drove nearly five hours from Ypsilanti to Chicago, then had to wait nearly two days at O'Hare Airport to get a flight out. Jason Pyrah, 2000 US Olympian at 1,500 meters drove to the event from Salt Lake City. Kenyan, Polish, and Russian runners made similar efforts to get to the race "to show their solidarity with Americans," said one of the meet organizers, Dave Rhody.

"It was a windy, drizzly morning, but we still had 2,000 runners at the start of the 5-K, the first event," said Rhody. "We had reached out to some musician friends to find someone to sing the national anthem prior to the start. The leader of a Motown Band, 'Pure Ecstacy', who has played at Run to the Far Side for several years, Preston Turner said 'I have the perfect soloist for you.' He and his wife showed up race morning with their 16 year old son, Christopher, who, it turns out is on his way to Julliard next year. After the usual flurry of activities and announcements prior to the start, I introduced Christopher to the crowd. Without any instruments to back him up, he stood up on the stage alone and, with unbelievable poise, sang the most beautiful national anthem I have ever heard.

"There was not a whisper from the crowd. He sang slowly and full of passion, hitting the high notes with such clear, ringing vibrato. I had tears in my eyes and when I looked around toward the end of it, I saw not one dry eye around me. I don't believe I will ever hear the national anthem sung with as much meaning, or with such perfection.

Canada's Graham Hood won the mile on the track by inches over Pyrah, with McMullen a disappointed third. Hood and Pyrah did a victory lap together with an American flag, and McMullen took it from them when they were finished. Before long, there was a spontaneous American-flag relay taking place on the track, with all the runners, including Canadians, Russians, and Kenyans taking a turn. From there, spectators came down from the stands, first one at a time, then dozens, to ask if they could also do a lap with the flag.

While various children's races were going on for the next 90 minutes, the flag kept circling the track. When the event was over, and the crowd had gone home, McMullen continued to run laps with the flag for another two hours. Only Dave Rhody and his crew were left to witness this feat. "We cheered him every time he came around," says Rhody. "Then many of us took turns just to give him a break. Remember, he had been at an airport for two days, then ran a world-class mile, then did this flag relay for three-and-a-half hours. It was awe-inspiring. We finally had to remind Paul that he'd miss his plane home if he didn't get off the track."

In Florida, Steve Edwards, former head of Running USA, noticed a more subtle expression change in people they saw. He and his wife Joy are in the midst of marathon training, logging the miles. "We tend to pass the same people, runners and non-runners on a regular basis," Steve said. "In the past, we found some folks friendly and we exchange greetings, while others are not. One thing that we have noticed since the tragedy is that people are a lot more friendly now, and the greetings are more frequent and sincere.

Perhaps another sign of Americans bonding together, even with strangers, in a simple yet significant way, with a sense of coming together and patriotism."

At the University of Florida, head track coach and former Olympic steeplechaser Doug Brown showed what he felt to his team. "We cancelled all athletic competition for the weekend out of respect for the victims and our nation," said Brown. "It's the only time I can ever remember when I didn't read the sports page or watch ESPN. They had no meaning to me at that time. What mattered to me were people and our patriotism. I held a team memorial prayer service on Friday afternoon. During that service I tried to illustrate to our team the history and significance of patriotism in this country. I wore one of my red white and blue Olympic outfits to work that entire day."

After watching the events unfold in New York, talking with their friends from the New York Road Runners Club, and seeing the heroics of the volunteers at the disaster site, Boston Marathon race director, Guy Morse, said: "Running organizations and participants in the family of road running know that it is this same volunteer ethic which has and will continue to sustain running events nationwide.

"The overall message we're hearing at the Boston Marathons is that neither the public, the volunteers nor the runners want to give in to this type of action. On the contrary, running is perhaps one of the best ways to honor our friends and celebrate our freedom. Running and road racing does, in fact, unite us. Mourning together and reflection together is appropriate. For many, running may be the vehicle and the release they seek. Again, the running family knows much thinking, and praying, is accomplished while training and participating in our sport. Running events, like the Boston Marathon, can and should serve to remember, honor, and celebrate life."

Keeping Track editor and RW Online columnist Janet Heinonen used running to help her through cancer treatments, and feels that running can help in many difficult personal situations. "From my personal point of view, the routine of running is immensely important in helping us feel in control of our lives and in giving balance to our lives," says Heinonen. "It grounds us, gives us a sense of normalcy, allows or forces us to take a daily break from our own small worlds of work or school, and gives us a feeling of accomplishment."

Olympic marathoner Mark Coogan agrees. "I feel running the past few days has been a good way to collect my thoughts and work my feelings out," says Coogan, who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. "I have just done easy runs and found them a good time for me to pray for the families that lost loved ones and pray that the USA does the right thing when going after the people who did this tragic attack on New York City and Washington. These easy runs have been a little like good medicine for me."

Carl Sniffen, former RRCA president who currently coaches high school distance runners in Grants Pass, Oregon, says he never considered postponing practice or canceling a meet. "I allowed each athlete to decide to run or not to run based on how he or she felt," says Sniffen. "I have nothing but the highest respect and regard for those killed in the attack and the rescuers working valiantly to save folks. I also think we have a responsibility to keep our hope and spirit alive, especially with high-school kids.

"It was appropriate for professional, baseball and college games to be postponed--for respect of the dead and wounded and for the safety of the living in a still somewhat unstable environment. Those conditions don't apply at the high school level. For small towns like Grants Pass, it's a way to show that the American spirit is saddened but not defeated. It's also a way for younger kids to focus on what is a normal part of their life and routine."

Frank Shorter, of course, experienced terrorism firsthand at the 1972 Munich Olympics. "You can't live in fear because that is exactly the point of the terrorism, to produce a fear and public mayhem far out of proportion to the actual danger," he told the Denver Post. "You have to go on with your life. Not in a callous, not-caring fashion, but because society and civilization demand it. The memory of these people who were killed demands it. Individually, it's the only personal statement you can make against the terrorism."

More races will be cancelled because cities or organizations do not have the resources or energy to put them on. Some will alter their plans, as Marion Jones did this week, dropping a scheduled speaking engagement at St. Catherine's College in St. Paul, MN, because, organizers say, she did not want to travel in these uncertain times.

But others will go on. The Army 10-miler will be held on October 14 in Washington, DC. Organizers are looking at course changes necessitated by the fact that the race normally starts and finishes near the Pentagon, which is now a crime scene. They are considering using the old Cherry Blossom course that runs along the Potomac, but nothing is settled yet. There will be some form of remembrance, but race organizers are not ready to announce details.

The Marine Corps Marathon has announced that it will take place as planned, though its course will also have to be somewhat altered. The MCM will partner with the Washington Redskins in an effort to raise relief funds for those impacted by the Pentagon crash. "We wanted to do more than just pay tribute to the victims," says Marine Corps race director Rick Nealis. "We wanted to help their families that were left behind by these horrible acts."

The funds collected will be turned over to the Pentagon to administer on behalf of the victims. Donations can be made payable to the Redskins Relief Fund, with the "26th Marine Corps Marathon" written in the reference line of any check and sent to the Redskins Relief Fund, FedEx Field, Landover, MD 20785.

"Running can be both an individual and group affirmation," said Dick Patrick, a sportswriter for USA Today, whose office is located not far from the Pentagon. "The NYC Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon will be hugely symbolic this year. Runners will be making statements: We may be shaken, but we won't be intimidated from following our plans. We will honor the memory of the victims with our efforts. Running will help the healing for individuals and communities."

England's Jon Brown, fourth in the Sydney Olympic marathon, has made a bold suggestion to the New York City race organizers. Brown told the London Times: "I do not think they should have an elite race. I would still run, but they should use the millions of dollars [spent on recruiting and paying for the elite field] for something worthwhile." The New York elite field costs some $1.5 million, estimates Brown.

Of course, the attacks didn't bring forth a positive response everywhere. In San Antonio, Randy Ohman reports that the tightened security has negatively affected sporting events. "San Antonio is a very military town," said Ohman. "Ft. Sam Houston is a large, very urban Army post which has several thoroughfares normally traversed by civilians on their daily business. No more. They did play a large role in many civic organizations, allowing post facilities and personnel to be used for meetings and events. No one, other than active military, can train there now. Races have been cancelled. A large soccer league that uses Ft. Sam fields is under pressure to scrap their fall season unless they can go elsewhere. With all due respect to these installations, there aren't enough targets in all of San Antonio to attract a hit from glory/publicity seeking terrorists. Our freedoms, trite as these examples may seem under the circumstances, are being reeled in. Unnecessarily, I believe.

"It isn't just with the military. My wife is a early riser and runs at the Alamo Heights High School track. During the summer, the athletic department thought it appropriate to put a key card pass lock on the gate to the track. Cards are purchasable for a small fee. Now, since the WTC/Pentagon attacks, the athletic department has chain and locked the key card pass gate. If a running 'community' response is expected, then I think it ought to be indignation towards the attackers, compassion towards the victims, and a never-missed-a-beat follow through of all activities and events we'd planned for since before September 11.