Ben Woodbeck on Running

In the June 2011 edition of Trail Runner magazine, Ben Woobeck recounts pacing his wife Diana Finkel in the Hardrock 100, the most notoriously difficult trail ultramarathon. After nearly winning, Diana placed second, broke the women's record, and suffered acute kidney failure the next day.  In the closing of his article, he writes:

 "Asking about running is just another way to wonder, what is it for? Just as ineffable as why one would climb a mountain, or kayak a river, or jump from an airplane, I guess. Running makes life more worthwhile, maybe. It gives a little definition outside the confines and strictures of work and family. It offers a community, one in which we can be individuals, ourselves, sometimes our best selves. It reminds us what is important, somehow, even if it does so by reminding us that running is not really that important. Relationships are important; another truth that we know but sometimes forget."