The Tiara 5K Classic is an appropriate tribute to the universal experience of Motherhood. Being a mom and running both require stamina, a willingness to keep moving forward even when you are drained, exhausted, and not sure how you are going to navigate the next corner.
In my 20s, I participated in races both psychologically and physically grueling. After a few years of 10Ks, ten milers and a couple of half marathons – I ran a full marathon right after my 26th birthday (yes, one mile for each year). On my feet for more than five hours – I absorbed the messages of encouragement on posters and tee-shirts like gospel, i.e. “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” Anything to get me to the finish line.
But becoming a mom two years later was far more challenging.
Those first three months felt like a year. The second night in the hospital, I remember rocking my inconsolable little son – singing dusty lullabies. It would be months before I slept more than three or four consecutive hours. In the meantime, I’d watch his every move – and even when I was beyond exhausted would stare in awe at his little face instead of sleep.
And this was only the beginning. The toddler years meant micromanaging a crawling baby, hoping he did not mindlessly swallow some stray coin or venture into the street. And when my little girl arrived two years later – it was about basically doing the impossible: taking care of an infant while trying to stay two steps ahead of my two-year old son.
And every day I’d hear (and I still here today at the grocery store, in the park, on the phone): “I don’t know how you do it.”
But you don’t question that. As my mom says, you just do it. It just requires stamina, whether your two-year old daughter pees on you in the natural history museum dinosaur exhibit, your baby is screaming during the last 20 minutes of a flight, or you are up most of the night consoling a sick child – you find a way to put one foot in front of the other.
What warms my heart about the Tiara Classic last Sunday was the clear recognition that the event was all about the moms – the women who basically are daily miracle workers for their children. The race celebrates them. Daughters, mother and grandmothers sported tiaras (even tutus); others beamed brightly in pink with smiles on their faces from start to finish. Neighbors on the sidelines cheered the runners not just for their physical stamina, but for their roles as moms or grandmothers.
Six years ago, the inaugural Tiara 5k drew only 150 runners. Its steep growth (about 1,000 participated this year) is attributed to the universal recognition of the amazing women and mothers in our lives. Every one of them deserves a medal.
And the runners supported another cause: raising money for the Women’s Fund. This fun helps women – including moms – pursue their academic aspirations so they can eventually land a job that will support them. This year the fund is partnering with Bristol Community College for the WISE Women Project, which helps women receive the training they need to obtain employment. The Tiara Classic raised $55,000 this time round, a significant contribution to help women in the region.
Motherhood is a long trek – requiring stamina. But the Tiara classic shows us doing it with a smile (and maybe a tiara) is what helps us through every twist and turn parenthood throws at us.
By Laura Fedak Pedulli
