The following article was printed in the Staten Island Advance on April 28, 2021. In order for readers to avoid a paywall when trying to access it online for those who don’t subscribe, I provided screenshots below. A link to the original article is provided at the end.
I would like to add that runners from other local running clubs such as the Prospect Park Track Club and the Ridge Runners also played a part in donating to the Baby Brenda Fund. Members of the Facebook group Bensonhurst Parents also helped provide donations.
Here is the link to the original article as digitally published by the Staten Island Advance (www.silive.com):
I belong to two running clubs. One is conservative and one is liberal.
Being a person whose political beliefs are somewhere between moderate and liberal, you would think that I would favor one club over the other. The truth is that I love both clubs equally regardless of their political leanings. You see, running overcomes everything. It’s the common denominator that brings people together.
Running is a very innate human activity. Cavepeople have been doing this running thing since the dawn of man when they had to either run to catch their meals or run away from becoming a meal. Even though our intellects have evolved over time, there are still some primitive inclinations in all of us. Selfishness, bigotry, ignorance, and violence are all a part of the dark underbelly of the human condition. Running erases these tendencies. It also unites all of us regardless of our dissimilar moral, social, and political ideologies.
Whether you are a conservative, a liberal, or something in between, runners share the same values that never change. Camaraderie, goal-setting, fitness, motivational support, and teamwork are traits that runners of all ilks commonly exhibit.
In today’s divisive political climate, I am happy to be a part of an activity where politics doesn’t matter and being the best we can be as human beings does.
Matthew Rees of Swansea Harrier (2nd L) helping an ailing David Wyeth of Chorlton Runners (2nd R) down The Mall to finish the Virgin Money London Marathon. Rees stated that, “Helping him was more important than the race time”.
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