A few weeks ago, I took part in a half marathon. As I arrived at the event, it began to rain, and I mean really rain.
As we lined up at the start line, there wasn’t the usual pre-race buzz of excitement. It seemed the rain had washed away everyone’s good moods.
As we began our 13.1 mile journey, the sombre mood didn’t get much better. In the distance, I spied one of the race volunteers taking shelter under a tree. I hoped they would throw some encouragement our way, but they seemed to be struggling more than us. It’s fair to say, the only thing worse than running 13.1 miles in the rain, is knowing that you are going to be standing in it for hours until the very last runner comes by.
At mile two, I heard a “well done” from underneath a hooded volunteer. Not filling me with the enthusiasm I needed, I just kept going. Mile after mile, it was the same story.
As we began our approach to mile 6, I heard the distant sound of music. I suddenly found myself with a bit of a boost. Intrigued, I pushed on. As I got closer, sure enough, there was a huge speaker playing music. I looked around to see the volunteer. They were dancing. And attached to them was a huge foam hand giving out high fives.
As I ran past, he shouted encouraging words, we high-fived, and he continued dancing.
The group I was running near began to smile and laugh, it was just what they needed. I found I had some more energy so was able to run a little faster. As I overtook another group, they were also talking about the volunteer. Suddenly, there was a buzz. The next few miles seemed to fly by.
The way the race was set up meant we had to pass mile 6 twice. I found myself getting excited on my second approach. I already seemed to have more energy, a smile on my face and a spring in my step. As I turned the corner, there was the blue foam hand still dancing and giving out high fives.
I crossed the finish line in a much better mood than when I started out. I heard other runners talking about the guy at mile 6.
There were so many volunteers at that event, all with the exact same briefing, but there was only one volunteer everyone will remember. The time we spent with him was just seconds, but the impact he had lasted far longer. He was still having to wait for the last runner to pass him. He was still having to stand in the rain for hours. He wasn’t being paid to be there.
What separated the guy at mile 6 from all the other volunteers was his attitude. He showed up like he really wanted to be there. Rain or shine, he didn’t care. He was going to enjoy the experience and help others to enjoy the experience too.
All of us can be more like this. It really is a matter of choice. The choice to be positive. The choice to be the best version of you that you can be. The choice to make a difference.
The question is, will you?