I believe there are two extreme types of runners. There are those runners who go to bed at night looking forward to their morning run. Then there are those of us whose first step of a run is the most difficult. That second one’s me. Sometimes I get down on myself because I am not a very good runner. It’s really hard for a truck driver to train properly. Then I think of people who overcome larger obstacles than driving a truck.
Rod Maccoux is one of those people. I met him last year while training to run the Green Bay Marathon. Rod was a member of a large group that met every Saturday morning. Everybody knew Rod’s name. We would always say hello when we were next to him or behind him on our runs. The day of the marathon Rod finished well ahead of me.
Here’s the thing: Rod is blind. Come on, I struggle to get my running shoes on and go for a nice scenic run. I’m a wimp.
Rod doesn’t do it alone. Mike Bors is his guide. I watched those guys in amazement last year. They run perfectly in sync. I never gave it much thought. I thought it was just natural for them. Then I got an email from my friend Carolyn Magner, who writes the I’m Just Say’n column and blog for Truckers News. She was guiding a blind runner, and they were struggling in their beginning stages. Did I know anything about it? I told her about Rod and Mike and that I would try to find them. I sent an e-mail to two friends, Amy Bailey and Kelly McBride of the Green Bay Press Gazette. They sent me e-mail contact info for Rod and Mike.
Easy? Natural? Yeah, right! They made it look easy because of all the work that they had put into it. They were more than happy to contact Carolyn and Cliff, the runner she guides. He was a Louisiana State Trooper who was injured on the job. It was so encouraging to me how enthused Rod and Mike were about helping Carolyn and Cliff. Carolyn and Cliff have a long way to go to match Rod and Mike, but I hope they are encouraged by what is possible through hard work.
As for me, how can I not be inspired by these four? How hard can it be to lace my shoes up and run? Really, it doesn’t seem so hard after seeing what they do.
Jeff Clark is a trucker, a grandfather and an eight-time marathon (26.2 miles) finisher. He is dedicated to helping truckers improve their health through better habits.
