SO… what just happened?
Let me start this read with the most important part of every update I put out: an acknowledgement of all things good. 2020 presented a unique opportunity for Second Capital Running to attempt to fill the void of races created by the pandemic. From July 9th to November 26th, we produced something like 26 individual races throughout South Jersey. It was a timeline of non-stop energy and passion that included at least one race a week for the whole summer. We found new strength in what it means to show up for our community… and for our community to show up for us.
Everything about last year was completely unexpected in ways both terrible and great. The great things do not negate the terrible things, but the terrible things certainly do not negate the great. We narrowly escaped the clutches of 2020 like the end of a disaster movie just to find that the changing of dates on a calendar has no real effect on the current state of our lives. We are living through a frame of time that is not yet defined because we are still living through it. The last 305 days did really just happen and we have many more ahead of us.
For me, that season of races served as a noble distraction from the reality of our world, which has been mostly pain, chaos, anger, and even emptiness. Though the season has been over for some time now, those things still take up space in my mind, rent free, and give no indication as to when they’re leaving. I think it’s safe to say we all find ourselves in that same head space more than we like lately. Especially as the weight of Winter sets in and the cloud of this pandemic constantly shifts. Some days the silver lining is just out of view.
And yet time marches on. The arrival of the new year still offers the optimism of a clean slate. An empty whiteboard waiting to be filled; and with each mark, more hope of the passion that keeps the fight alive. But I have learned that my passion can’t bear the full responsibility of keeping my heart and mind in check.
Watching the movie Soul offered a very profound perspective on the point I struggled to pick up on in the last year: passion is a great driving force, but it can’t be all there is to life. As I’ve come to grips with the fact that all of what currently ails the world isn’t going away any time soon, purpose isn’t the most formidable means of survival. Most adults can agree that there comes a point where you have to acknowledge that our passion(s) are a piece. Not the whole puzzle. How does this translate in terms of what I do and will do with Second Capital Running? Not much changes in any obvious ways, really. But it does help refine, and therefore further define our mission.
We have released some preliminary dates for our 2021 events. You can find them on your local race calendar or any of our digital channels. We have a lot more planned than just those and hope to give you all more insight on them soon, but here’s a hard fact: we are not guaranteed to make a single race happen this year. There was a lot of pivoting last year and I expect 2021 to be much of the same as we navigate what is safe and responsible. Event producers and race directors walk a very fine line these days, and the good ones keep the best interest of our people at the forefront always.
Our mission is to preserve the soul of racing in South Jersey. What exactly is the soul? If you ask me, it’s the community. There’s this apparent sense of togetherness and belonging to something bigger than yourself that has brought people in for decades. Personally, I believe that is more important than the actual races themselves. They’re merely platforms and springboards that carry that notion of belonging further into the empty spaces of our lives. Myself and my team look at this as way more than just a business venture. Financial success and company growth is not the ultimate goal here. This movement is a venture into building stronger community ties that will prepare us all for the road ahead.
As we continue with our forward motion from last year, I am prepared to pivot in any way necessary to preserve the community first, and then help us find our way back to the action. That means keeping equal or greater focus on making people feel connected when we are most distant, and empowered when we are cannot find strength. The writer/director of Soul had this to say about the films message:
“Which is this idea that life itself is about taking whatever we have thrown at us and turning it into something beautiful.”
This quote perfectly encapsulates what we (myself, Second Capital Running, and you) accomplished for our run community last year. Whatever 2021 brings, we will be ready to transform it into something that serves to keep the soul of racing alive.
-Dre