I guess I didn’t do too good a job of beating around the bush in my last post. Two of you guessed it right off the bat!
Yes, I have begun traing in order to WALK a marathon. There’s a whole class of folks out there called Marathon Walkers; I think I’m about to become one! (They even do “Ultra Walks”, like 100 miles! THOSE ones are nuts, I think!)
I do not recall if I have discussed this here in my blog or not. Over the years, going back probably 40 years, I have wanted to do some, for me, spectacular event. That might have been a walk across the US from East to West coasts, or vice versa. Or perhaps a hike down the Pacific Coast Trail from Vancouver to Mexico. In later years, it became a walk from Omaha to California. Or Texas.
More recently, I considered walking from Las Cruces to Southern California (900 miles). But, and this will sound odd to some, I never did these walks because no one ever gave me permission to. This is something I’m not sure I understand about myself, but there it is. I could probably contribute a great deal to a psychologist’s retirement plan if I ever tried to reason it out!
A few weeks ago, I decided I no longer need anyone’s permission. I never really did, but too late to go back now! The point is, going forward, I don’t need the permission! So, I decided to do something about it.
Deming, NM, is 63 miles away. I checked a map, and sure enough there’s a series of highways that will get me there without having to walk along the interstate… something I’m just not prepared to do. I decided to set out and walk the 63 miles, either over the course of a month, walking 15 – 20 miles per weekend, or perhaps picking a 4 day weekend and walking it that way (or MAKING a 4 day weekend). October seemed like a good time to start, perhaps November.
Then I walked 5.5 miles a couple of weeks back. It.Nearly.Did.Me.In. Obviously, I reasoned, I’m not doing this in October or November. I need several months to train.
I mentioned this to a colleague at work, and she suggested doing a marathon, instead. I’ve always assumed that marathons were only for runners. Not this one, said she. In fact, the one she had in mind is mostly for WALKERS and marchers. It’s not well suited for runners, though lots of runners (including her son) do run it.
And so, there it is. AND, funnily enough, by her recommending it, and providing me some resources she, in a strange sort of way… gave me permission! (Anyone recommend a local shrink?)
So, just what is this marathon I’m going to try to walk? And WHERE is it?
It’s right here in our own back yard. The 26th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March, to be held March 22, 2015.
It’s interesting to note that there is a lot of people who do not know what this March refers to. I find it sad that we have forgotten that from December 1941 til April 1942, units of the New Mexico National Guard and the US Army, along with the Filipino Army stood against a larger, better equipped, better armed, better supplied and ruthless Japanese invation force. By March of 1942, these soldiers were down to rations of less than 1000 calories a day, and yet continued to hold for another month until, in early April, the commanding general, a man considered a hero by many of his troops, finally surrendered.
And there began the biggest tragedy. The Japanese force marched the survivors of Corregidor over the Bataan peninsula a distance of 55 miles. Those who fell along the side of the road were bayonetted, shot, or beheaded. Their comrades were then forced in many cases to carry their bodies the rest of the way. Over the remainder of the war, they were tortured, and forced into inhumane labor.
I have read that many of these men felt themselves forgotten.
This march is an effort to recall these men, to remind America of the sacrifice they gave… a critical element in the war effort.
The Bataan Memorial Death March is not a marathon or a race. Your individual time and team competitiveness are secondary to finishing. Only through completing this event as a Team March will you appreciate in some small way the significance of the sacrifices made by the American and Filipino soldiers who actually endured this horrific 55 mile forced march as prisoners of war. Endurance and tenacity are key to completing this event as well as a clear sense of purpose and Team.
So, I’m trying to form a team. Any takers?
On The Road II 