Hat Run 50K: In Loving Memory of Robert Harris

He knew I could do it before I did.  Back in those days, I was trying to do 40 races by the time I turned 40.  It was his idea that the 40th race would be a marathon. I thought he was nuts.
But, I did it.   He was so proud of me!  He even asked for my sneakers when I finished the race.  “You are something special Base. You know how to turn the power up to 10!  I just want some of the magic you’ve created to rub off on me” I handed them over.
Fast forward a few months, I remember sitting next to him.   We were bickering about where to go to lunch the next day. He wanted Red Robin.   I wanted Banchetti's. Going out to lunch for teachers is a big deal. It doesn’t happen often. Clear as day, I can remember him walking out the door saying, “It doesn’t matter where we eat.  All that matters is who is sitting across from you at the table”. Those were the last words he ever said to me.
His name was Robert Harris and we never made it to lunch.   Robert died that night.


Robert and I had a wonderful brother/sister relationship.   To this day, I laugh when I think of him wearing the Secret Santa gift I bought him.  He looked ridiculous with the Christmas boxers and hat, but took it in stride. He wore those silly things all day (over his clothes) and threw me under the bus, as the giver, every chance he got.  He was proof that black Santa exists!
I was crushed when he passed.  I remember simply walking out of school and hiding in the baseball dugout (he was a huge fan) and bawling my eyes out.   I’d lost a friend and confident, and although others have done their part to fill the void he left, his mark on my life is indelible.
I still feel him with me.   The first time was a triathlon just after he passed.  I was getting pelted with Lake Ontario waves and it was probably above my skill level.   His face jumped in my mind. A thought, that I know was not my own, directed me to a swim line I had not seen before.   I won that tri...with Robert’s help.
He was with me again today.   I entered the Hat Race with a body a little worse for wear.   They nearly cancelled the race due to weather, and I knew I was in for a challenge.   But, somehow, I knew Robert was with me. I could almost hear him saying “BASE...you are my “one in a million,” go make that magic”.  
I didn’t quite finish the way I want to, but as I sit here in my finisher jacket, I know it was Robert who helped me to see it through.
I miss you my dear friend, and I can not believe it has been ten years since I have heard that laugh.

 Thank you for helping me see that there is magic everywhere, and that the faces you share it with, are the ones that ignite the spark.  
Oh, in case you were wondering….those shoes I gave him, they were found in his car.   



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