01/09/2026
Appreciation post to this person beside me. ๐ฅน
A year ago, I ran my very first full marathon, and this person patiently paced me all the way to the finish line. Yesterday, I got to do the same for a friend, pacing them all the way to the finish.
And without a second thought, I can now say: dili diay lalim mahimong pacer. ๐ญ
As someone being paced, sige taโg reklamo, โKapoy na,โ โDili na kaya,โ โPila pa ka kilometers?โ and sometimes, we even think nga murag wa ra sila gikapoy.
But now that Iโve experienced being on the other side, I realizedโฆ mas kapoy diay, mas makasapot, mas challenging, mas mentally draining. Makaingon ka na โbiyaan nlang kaha ni nko.โ Youโre carrying not only your own tired legs, but also the responsibility of keeping someone else going.
Pero dili gyud nila ipakita.
They put on their face card of encouragement even when theyโre already exhausted, because they know that the moment we see them getting tired, mas samot taโg kapoyon. They keep saying, โKaya pa,โ โPadayon,โ โDuol na,โ just so we can keep going.
So to all the pacers out thereโฆSALUTE. ๐ซก
Thank you for running beside us, for adjusting your pace, listening to our endless complaints, giving us that extra push, and most importantly, for making us believe that we can reach the finish line.
Now I truly understand what it means to have someone carry you when your body and mind are already asking you to stop.
To Kevin Michaels, thank you for doing it for me a year ago. ๐ฅน
-YAM
