Why I Run

Originally written July 2025

I finally figured out today why I run — and no, it’s not just to escape responsibilities or burn off the sugar rush from a can of Coke.

The original plan was for me to be the tail walker at 3M3D, but plans changed and I was assigned to help at the checkpoints instead.

So today, I found myself stationed at the Copperlode Dam checkpoint.

And that’s when everything suddenly made sense.

I’ve been to Copperlode Dam countless times, but this was my very first time driving up there.

Normally, I either run up while Graeme picks me up at the top, or I hike from Crystal Cascades and run downhill.

But driving?

The winding road felt endless.

I was itching to jump out of the car and just start running.

And the drive back down was even worse.

After the last runner left the checkpoint, I started heading down and passed runner after runner along Lake Morris Road.

Pure torture.

Whether it was FOMO or simply my love of running, I don’t know — but they looked like they were having far more fun than I was.

There I was, feeling like a sad spectator in my own sport, trapped inside a car on a twisty road.

And that’s when it hit me:

I hate driving on winding roads… so I run them instead.