Turns out I have a connection with Tracey the local landscape lady. Six years ago, when I re-located to the small West Coast town of Raglan, I met Tracey and Chris. I needed sand, rocks, and dirt, and they had bucket loads of all three. Actually, they had truck loads, all in beautiful piles in their Raglan Landscape Supplies yard just out of town. I became a regular at their yard as I built our new home and shaped our own backyard. Between then and now I also started a small odd-jobbing business, Repurposed Raglan, so I continue to make trips out to the Tracey and Chris’s wonderful yard filled with beautiful piles of stuff you landscape with. You could say Repurposed Raglan and Raglan Building Supplies have a good business connection now. The truth is we are personally connected too. Chris got to know my son Jordan down at a local gym and out on the surf, and I would see Tracey and Chris out walking their dogs as I ran an early morning loop near home and give them a wave and exchange a friendly hello.
One day not long ago they asked for a copy of my book, FIFTY-TWO. It is a biography about my running addiction and the year (2017) when I ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks in my 52nd year on the planet. They said they were keen to read my story, so I signed the inside leaf with a short personal word of encouragement and hoped they would enjoy the read and connect to something in the story.
I love hearing people's response to my book. Sometimes you get generic feedback like, ‘great book’, ‘loved your book’, and ‘that was amazing running 52 marathons’. This is positive, but it can feel more like a polite reaction than a real connection. But every now and then when someone tells you the ‘bit’ that meant something to them, or the specific story that connected with them in a new way, now that is precious. When I saw Tracey next, I had one of those privileged moments of true connection.
Tracey could not wait to tell me that she not only related to the book, but was connected to my story, to me. As Tracey read about me representing Hillcrest Highschool at the Waikato Zones 1500m race it confirmed something she had wondered when we first met 6 years ago. Yes, I was the guy she went to school with. And then as she had read about my dad taking me to see John Walker run, she realised that she was there too. A few years before our Highschool connection, while I was still in Matamata and Tracey in Hamilton, our dads had taken us to the same 1982 Pan Am International Track Series at Porrit Stadium where we both had witnessed John Walker running a sub-4-minute mile.
Tracey could not wait to tell me that she not only related to the book, but was connected to my story, to me. As Tracey read about me representing Hillcrest Highschool at the Waikato Zones 1500m race it confirmed something she had wondered when we first met 6 years ago. Yes, I was the guy she went to school with. And then as she had read about my dad taking me to see John Walker run, she realised that she was there too. A few years before our Highschool connection, while I was still in Matamata and Tracey in Hamilton, our dads had taken us to the same 1982 Pan Am International Track Series at Porrit Stadium where we both had witnessed John Walker running a sub-4-minute mile.
Here is Tracey’s recent review of the book:
‘Connection grounds us and introduces curiosity and inspiration’. When I finished reading Campbell's book Birth of a Soul Runner Fifty-Two, I was grounded, connected, curious and definitely inspired. Campbell Forlongs journey is nothing short of remarkable and reminded me of my love for running. ‘Same same but different’, never covering the massive distances in far off places that runner Campbell does but I remembered how I loved the calm, peaceful, happy, sometimes tough times running years ago with my father. I also attended the Pam Am International Track event with my father in 1982 many years ago.
This book is pure love and determination - a fantastic read.
Tracey suggested the other day that I write another book. My first book was obviously about running but also had a significant theme of love. Tracey says my next book should have a new theme, ‘connection’. Tracey, I do not know if another book is brewing, but certainly life’s connections is a reoccurring theme in my own life story right now, so I wrote this short piece for you. And I hope to see you out on the road or trail soon with your ‘runners’ on!
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