Becky Walters

I used to run because I couldn't stand up to my Cross Country coach 11 years ago and say that I was quitting. Now, I run because I can't tell my 11 years of running that I am quitting.

I have an urge to make and achieve goals, and running is the perfect way to do that. Neither a team is needed, nor is fancy equipment. Just hard work and great rewards. I love the amazement of watching the crazy first place runner get an incredible time, and I love the contagiously humbling effect that the last place runner has as he or she crosses the line with a smile. I love being in the middle of the group, but still aiming for a PR. And as a race director, I love seeing first-time racers surprise themselves.

Besides helping my girly and sometimes questionable self-esteem, trail-running gives me a regular escape into the wild like I belong there. The simplicity makes trailrunning a necessity. It allows me to smile when I'm all muddy and stride into the next puddle with no regrets. It allows me to have my Snickers and eat it, too. It allows me to make it to the top of a mountain and enjoy the view firsthand. It allows me to pray I'll make it to the 50k finish and watch that prayer get answered.

The endorphins make it unquittable. The partners-in-crime-running-buddy girls make it unquittable. The happiness of running a ten-minute mile while six months pregnant makes it unquittable. The husband, friends, and family at the finish line makes it unquittable. The training for the next race makes it unquittable. The ultimate goal of every ultrarunner (the 100-miler) makes it unquittable. The middle-of-the-pack camaraderie makes it unquittable. The love of a soft surface and beauty of a winding path make the fascinating sport of trailrunning unquittable and unforgettable.

Here's to the next 11 years, and the next, and the next...!