Will!  Wow!

4:05.10 ...and looking like he's ready for another 26 miles. 

Gotta make an exception to my rule of keeping this site free of too much personal stuff despite the fact that Blogs by definition are usually more journal than journalism--cause I'm first and foremost a Dad and I just can't resist the urge to blow a fanfare of paternalistic pride. 

Eli (boom man, Exec Producer and peripatetic show runner
(with Jon, Charlie and David--hidden right) 

A little backstory.  Will had an idea for a comedy in which  he would document his (mis?) adventures while endeavoring to run a marathon with little or no training.  He and  brother Eli put together a basic structure of scenes and events, teamed up with a small crew from a production company and proceeded to shoot what they hoped would be enough good stuff to cut a  pilot that might tickle the fancy of a network or find a champion from a willing distributor.

They shot friends, family, and scenes in and around the city leading up to race day with what I imagined was the intention of creating a set-up for some kind of comedic comeuppance when Will's willful lack of discipline and preparation would culminate in a hubristic downfall and a face full of humble pie.  Well, I don't know how they're gonna pull it off, cause Will just loped along for 26 plus miles and seemingly never even broke a sweat and completely blew my (and Ellen's and his friends') mind. 

My Brother in Law Bill ran the Boston Marathon years ago, and said it was like a 26 mile long victory lap--which I found astonishing, but I always attributed that to the fact that Bill is a Bull of an athlete who to this day can do 100 mile bike rides and enjoy every minute of it.  And I'll admit to some worry about Will since he's had two lung collapses in the last 5 years and was deliberately avoiding the kind of training that I thought was mandatory for anyone attempting to survive the distance that famously killed that heroic messenger Pheidippides back in 490 BC. 

At mile 17.  Must be the Steroids. 

But damn, did Will surprise me.  Eli and the two cameramen raced from station to station along the route to capture the (carefully planned) progress of Will's progressive disintegration--and it simply never happened.  Ellen and I followed the route too, and so did Will's buddies Jon, David and Charlie.  And when we all showed up at various checkpoints we kinda just stood there in disbelief while Will went galloping by looking no different at mile 17 than he did at the starting line.  

David, Charlie, Jon and exhausted Drifter.  

Depressingly, it was me and Ellen who were beginning to wilt under the stress and strain of racing ahead while expecting the worst at every next turn. 

But having the company of Will's good chums who journeyed 100 miles the previous evening to root their pal along was a real pleasure for all of us.  Great trio of guys and we had some good laughs--mostly at the expense of some of the race's more eccentric participants. 

The race (The Hamptons Marathon and half marathon)  brought out about a combined 1400 runners and I just looked it up...314 finished the marathon and Will finished  124th.  Really nice course going through The Springs and Amagansett and parts of East Hampton.  And towards the latter part of the route, it winds through some wooded areas on a dirt road that rolls up and down for about 2 miles.  In the car, rushing ahead to catch him emerging from this section, Ellen and I were convinced that this is where Will (and others) would start to tire and struggle... but again, we were wrong, and he just chugged along past us on hill that had me a bit breathless just walking back to the car. 

Kick to the finish

And the scene at the finish line was no less surprising with scores of runners pushing through the tightness and fatigue but otherwise smiling their way to the end and into the embraces of friends and family.

After the cool down with coconut water and the traditional mylar cape, we all made our way back to the house where Will and Eli and the film crew continued to shoot more footage to milk every moment out of the denouement which included the removal of band-aids on his nipples ( something which another runner failed to apply and thus became the source of much amusement to we spectators who watched him jog by with nipples bleeding copiously through his white top) and plunging into a bathtub filled with ice.  

I warned you at the top that this would be a sentimental journey, and so it is.  I guess it's not just the run itself, or the physical accomplishment, but more the spirit of the entire endeavor.  And that includes the making of the film and Eli's dedication and effort to make that happen as well.  Watching them both in action all day, focused and committed and engaged fully in the challenge of the moment is just about as good as it gets when it comes to stoking the fires of parental pride.  And mine got seriously stoked this weekend.