My husband’s passion is for running races and for the great outdoors. He grew up in a city situated on a picturesque mountainside. He would sometimes opt to hike to and from school and he started running at quite an early age. Work and family later became demanding so he stopped running for several years. Now he has resumed pursuit of this passion. Although I am proud of his achievements I can’t say I envy him enough to start running races myself. As they say, it’s just not my cup of tea and sadly, not that of our two kids either. So, was my husband left to run his races by himself or did we force ourselves to run with him? Well, neither.

I go with my husband on all his major runs and our kids sometimes go with us. Even if we don’t run, our kids and I are always thrilled to see my husband cross the finish line and are thankful for his stamina and determination (even as he gradually goes up in the age category for runners!). Likewise, we love exploring new places, and we especially enjoy going with him on trail runs where the views are usually spectacular.

I started taking photographs of my husband in his runs. Then, I started taking photographs of his friends and then his friends’ friends. Now I find myself taking photographs of runners of all ages and from all walks of life, their faces alight with triumphant stories as they cross the finish line. I could not forget the first time I saw a man, looking well into his 70s, strongly approaching the finish line after a 42-k run, and of the 50-ish husband-and-wife team holding hands, beaming as they crossed the finish line together, nor have I forgotten the cheer these three runners drew from the crowd. I remember vividly the joy and pride in the faces of the children crossing the finish line with parents or friends, the faces of the young men and women running for fun, and of the injured, pain etched on their faces as they slowly but determinedly inched toward the finish line. Through my lens I have watched celebrities and the rich donned with the latest in running fashion and the humble runner with just the decent shoes needed, the strong well-built men, the rotund men and women trying to get into better shape, the old trying to stay young, and the young just thrilled with the strength of their youth. Running the race for different reasons, they all ran with passion and strength of will.

Watching the faces of runners have given me insight into life. Our journey through life is much like running the race. How wonderful it is to be young, strong and confidently able to go through life’s obstacles, to journey with a partner, family or friend, being of the same mind and completing life together, or even if injured or seemingly alone, to finish the race of life, unknowingly touching and inspiring many along the way.

We are running the race called life. Though we sometimes falter, we should remain focused on our goal, learn to draw strength from our fellow runners and hope to inspire others along our way until, finally, we cross our finish line.