An “epic” event: Cory Adams returns to the Roadrunner

What does 'epic' mean to you?

By Cory Adams

12 Sure, man can define epic, but do we really understand what it means?

Man has been trying to figure this out since Gilgamesh was carved on stone tablets. A lot has changed in the last few thousand years and mankind is almost there. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re just starting to figure out how to get out of our own way. Along comes the increasing in popularity of running and other endurance sports and we start to realize how much untapped potential we really have. Somewhere along the way, we gave up on trying to relive the high school glory days and we started focusing on trying to find our Everest to climb. In trying to make sense out of all this, we max out our credit cards and spend all of our free time training for something we may or may not understand.

Some might say that this is just the mid-life crisis kicking in, but sooner or later that goes away. Distance running is about more than just getting into shape, it’s about chasing our definition of epic. Maybe it’s that elusive time or maybe it’s finishing that race you never thought you would find yourself in, but whatever it is, there’s always something that keeps us going.

What started with a 5K turned into training for a marathon. Upon crossing the marathon finish line for the first time and having that finisher medal placed around your neck, you may or may not be done. If you decide to stop after completing those 26.2 miles of pain, pleasure and euphoria, there’s nothing wrong with that because you’re part of that select few who have finished a marathon. If finishing a marathon wasn’t enough for you, though, what’s next?

You could roll the dice trying to get a Boston qualifying time or you could veer off towards another challenge. The best piece of advice I ever got was to keep trying to find that new Everest to climb. Sometimes you find the new Everest and sometimes that new Everest falls right into your lap, but when this happens, this is your chance to find out what epic really means.

Nothing does a better job of helping you understand epic than the elements and the terrain. Finishing a marathon is a life-changing moment that can’t really be described, but when you do finish a marathon in bad weather or hilly terrain, it induces feelings of euphoria that last until you wake up the next morning. After the soreness wears off, though, it’s time to find that new Everest to climb because the sky is the limit but there are footprints on the moon.

Finishing a run on top of a mountain with that medal around your neck is a life-changing experience, but after you get that medal, there’s always something bigger. Coming back down off that mountain makes you appreciate what you have accomplished and how much of your potential has been left untapped. Again, there’s a bigger mountain to run up and – out of breath with your heart beating out of your chest – you see just how much you’re really capable of.

Chasing that sun down a sandy beach is the best form of therapy, but add wind to the mix and it creates a new challenge you never thought possible. A few miles in the sand feels like a marathon, and when you finish there’s sand in places you didn’t think you could get sand. After you get all the sand out, though, you’re left with the memories of how beautiful that sunset was as you stood there soaked in sweat.

Horizons come in all shapes and sizes. Running through the Heartland is proof of that. Running down a dusty ranch road in the middle of nowhere is a real escape, and when you come to the top of a hill you can see how far you’ve come and you can see how far you have to go before you’re done. Seeing all this can do many things to your psyche, but when you cross that finish line there’s a real sense of connection with yourself. A lot has changed in the last few thousand years ...