By HPRS Staff Columnist: Christopher Mellott

In February, I had my first experience with the Human Potential Running Series at the Stories Ultra 30 hour race in Colorado Springs. At Stories, I started the race early in the morning. That early Colorado morning, I experienced my first pre-race briefing from Sherpa John. I ran through the aid station from 6:00 AM Saturday morning to noon on Sunday. Every time I looped through, there was good food and even better people. The volunteers made the experience. Every time I entered the aid station, they were there supporting me and cheering me on. They were there in the below-freezing temperatures of the night and the brutal winds that picked up enough speed and debris to shatter a van window. In short, I got to experience part of what made the Human Potential Running Series experience so incredible as a runner. At the Silverheels 100 and Last Call 50 miler on July 6-7th I got to be part of the over fifty volunteers that helped create the Human Potential experience.

I was scheduled to work the Poor Man’s aid station from 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM, however, I found myself drawn to the starting line for the Last Call 50 at 11:30 PM. The Race Director John “Sherpa” Lacroix began his pre-race speech at 11:45 PM.  Had you stumbled in mid briefing you would have thought you were at a comedy club as the participants were laughing and the energy was palpable in the building. Sherpa shared stories about the course and the follies of previous years runners, throughout the briefing, he also shares the vital information about the course, the water crossings. Sherpa’s silver (yes silver) overalls dazzle in the bright overhead lights of the Fairplay Recreation Center. He has been up nearly twenty-four hours at this point, but his energy flows smoothly, he is in his element. The runners soak in the energy as they prepare to venture into the darkness. He covers the race in details helping prepare runners for the adventure they are about to embark on. Sherpa gets through the gritty details of the course, and then he transitions to talking to the runners about their experience. Sherpa shared that he cares infinitely more about their experience at the race then their time, or even if they finish. The last two things that Sherpa shares resonate with racers and volunteers alike.

“You are all working on something, and that is yourself” and “Show up! Show up for each other, and you are all in this together remember you are the bright spot for someone. Keep building each other up.”

I asked myself what I was working on as I traveled to my assigned aid station. Why was I out there after a 14-hour workday? Why did I drive over two hours in the dark to volunteer for a race that started at midnight? Was it because Human Potential has a great volunteer program, and I wanted to run a later race a little cheaper? Maybe. More than that though I wanted to give back to the community that had given me so much. I needed to give back, close the gap between what I the community has given me and what I have given. I thought about showing up for all the runners who were out in the mountains of Colorado working on themselves.

As the night grew long and the fire roared runners began to trickle through our aid station. 100-mile runners had been out on the course since early Saturday morning. Every one of them came through our aid station with energy and appreciation as if the littlest things we did meant everything. I could feel every volunteer was showing up for the runners whether it was a quick cheer, filling a water bottle, or bringing them a cup of coffee. Every interaction produced a feeling of good vibes, energy, and optimism for me. I loved seeing all of these runners pushing their limits, working on themselves, and finding the best versions of themselves. The good vibes continued to flow as I saw runners and volunteers alike showing up for each other. I took away from the race that we as runners need to continue working on ourselves and continue to show up for others.

The aid station life was great; I had a front-row seat as the two races unfolded. I got to experience the ups and downs and the unknown of an ultra race without refreshing Twitter every three minutes. I spent a little more than eight hours with people that love the sport. I also saw the race director at least three separate times. He was always coming into our aid stations cheering on runners, giving them a pep talk or a kick in the ass depending on what the runner indicated they needed. Every interaction Sherpa had with runners he was intentional, genuine, and truly practiced what he preached. He cared about every runner’s experience. I have run hundreds of races and very few if any have I seen the race director multiple times throughout the race. Sherpa continually impressed me with how he showed up for every runner.

Throughout my shift, I saw every runner and volunteer working on themselves in some way.  I saw the best of humanity in running form. Runners and volunteers gave so much of themselves to show up for someone other than themselves. Sometimes showing up meant sharing a few words of encouragement, sharing precious drop bag gear or waiting an extra minute for a fellow runner to leave the aid station together. At the aid station, I saw relentless energy from those who challenged the course. I saw runners claim victory even in DNF’s. They had found something in themselves and were already planning to continue to work on themselves the next time they raced. I experienced working alongside volunteers who were passionate about watching racers succeed and going the extra mile to help them succeed.

I am so grateful to have been able to experience a Human Potential Running Series race as a runner and now as a volunteer. I experienced first hand the energy, camaraderie, and the community that makes this the fastest growing race series in Colorado. As a person who races and volunteers in this community, I continue to be a  proud member of this experience. Human Potential is a group of people who continue to work on themselves to get better and show up for each other to help everybody reach their potential.