Michael is back from China, where he and 49 other runners from 18 different states and Canada took part in two races. In “The Great Wall Run” Michael was the first to reach the top of the highest watchtower, after running up steep hills and 3K on the wall itself. For this feat he was awarded a ride on a two-humped camel, brought in from the nearby Gobi desert. (To rest his tired feet?)
Michael continues: “Organized road races are fairly recent events in China, and during the International 10K in Jinan, Chinese runners would proudly run alongside the Americans, and when they couldn’t maintain the pace, they would shake our hands before dropping back. After the race we exchanged our soggy t-shirts with the Chinese runners and posed, arms around one another wearing each other’s shirts. That simple exchange transcended all barriers and boundaries. We couldn’t speak one another’s language, but there was no need to — a great feeling of comraderie as athletes and friends.”
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