Run, Don’t Walk to theVillage’s Third Annual Health and Wellness Fair

I’m one of those runners who registers for a race but come the morning of (typically a 6:00 a.m. or earlier call), decide instead I’d rather be breakfasting leisurely in some charming café. That said, during the 16-plus years I’ve been running competitively, I missed few actual races (either because of crappy weather or the rare injury). Otherwise, I always managed to rise to the occasion, to show up. That’s exactly what I did on the morning of October 21st, when theVillage hosted its It Takes theVillage health and wellness fair on their Rosemont campus that included, among a host of other activities, a cross county-style 5K run, 1-mile walk/run and a kid’s 100-yard dash.

Since 1877, theVillage–a nonprofit organization–has been assisting those in the greater Philadelphia region by “promoting healing of the spirits of children, families and communities broken by trauma including violence, neglect, addiction, poverty, mental illness, racism and other serious social problems.” Its founding purpose is “helping children and families overcome life’s challenges to achieve a brighter future.” The quote I chose to accompany this article is integral and analogous to theVillage’s philosophy of commitment community-minded spirit. Their message of hope is pervasive and meant to last “for a lifetime.”

Fortunately, the morning began with a reasonable 9:00 a.m. 5K start time. I must’ve missed somewhere the bit about “cross-country style.” Expecting a flat course on macadam, my feet instead encountered grassy canyons (hyperbole alert!) as we looped around the campus. I dodged everything from tree roots to the infrequent muck spot, hidden earthly depressions and seemingly out-of-nowhere moguls and dips. The hot-doggers (read: youth) didn’t seem to mind; their lithe, gangly limbs, fancy footwork and tendencies to assume anything and everything possible were a far cry from my empirically based fear-factor.

Admittedly, my internal “you got this” mantra was more “Dear Maker, please keep me from an ankle sprain (or worse) and nowhere near a hospital ER today.” What had I gotten myself into? As I passed Jory Barrad, theVillage’s vice president of development and marketing, he cautioned me to be careful and to not run for speed. How I managed to finish in one piece while placing first in my age group remains a mystery.

The day offered much more than its run, walk and dash focus. It clearly was a family-oriented occasion with plenty of seasonal enterprises that kept the pace going long after the physically demanding draw. With games, pumpkin- and face-painting for the kids and healthful-lifestyle stations with eager-to-educate sponsors sharing pamphlets and knowledge for adults, there was something for all. Kids and adults alike could benefit from theVillage’s holistic lifestyle approach. Nearly everyone present engaged in a pre-race stretch led by a Philadelphia Sports Clubs’ (Radnor) trainer as well as a post-race wind down guided by a therapist from theVillage. This was a welcome meditative and mindful manner in which to loosen muscles made even stiffer by my visualizations of ankle braces and traction contraptions.

Also present and in keeping with theVillage’s uniquely progressive model toward altering lives were other such devoted nonprofit organizations: Peter’s Place, DMAX Foundation, Family Support Line, Gateway Horse Equine Therapy and Survive Strive Thrive.

Note below in a photograph the plethora of sponsors. Sponsors make these events possible, so kudos and thanks to them as well to the many volunteers for their contributions to theVillage, an altruistic group of caring individuals with a mission and ethic we can all do well to heed. Proceeds from the event benefitted theVillage’s services to keep awareness and the spotlight of support on their necessary and thriving endeavors.

Mission accomplished, will someone please pass the French toast?