Sad day in the running world.
After I looked through my work emails and signed onto twitter this morning I saw something pop up that I really really hoped wasn’t true:
(Image source. )
Sally Meyerhoff was killed yesterday while cycling. She was only 27.
Ugh.
She’s one of those runners I’ve always liked. Tough competitor, repping us girls with big quads, national champion, Kona qualifier and a blogger.
Nobody I’ve ever met. Yet reading about her death pretty much stopped me dead in my tracks. My phone rang as I read the article and I didn’t even hear it because I was sitting here dumbfounded.
I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because the internet gives us the opportunity to “know” people we’ll never meet. (Related: I’ve been an awful blog commenter lately.) Maybe it’s because some people have stories that make it hard not to root for them.
Or maybe because it’s a reminder that we can’t win against a vehicle. And it can happen to any of us: pros, experienced runners, novices…whatever. WE CAN’T WIN AGAINST A VEHICLE. Especially while cycling.
So I guess really I’m taking a break from the snark and whining to tell you two things:
1. Be careful. Yes, I’ve sure as hell punched a car or two in my time…but I’ve also jumped into snowbanks and ditches when I could see a car wasn’t going to slow down for me. YOU CAN’T WIN AGAINST A CAR. Don’t try. Stay alert, because you might not even hear one coming.
2. If you weren’t familiar with her, read some of her blog. Class act, hard worker and I haven’t quite wrapped my head around the fact that she’s no longer here.
(RIP.:( )
Sad day indeed. She was a true class act. Such a terrible tragedy.
So very sad.
So, so sad. Thanks for everything, Sally. RIP.
Very sad, good advice.
I feel like this year I have read way too many news articles about impressive athletes (often doing good charitable works) being killed by cars while cycling. There was a guy in Florida who was killed in the last 100 miles of his cross-country ride for Wounded Warrior or a similar group.
I am ultra-careful with my just-after-work runs because people are hellbent on home and those 2-ton vehicles are paying no attention to relatively little me.
Ugh. That’s horrible. It seems most cyclists/triathletes I know have had at least one bad crash, which may or may not involve cars. It’s really scary.
So sad. It is so hard to wrap your head around. Advice we all need to pay attention to as runners though.
So sad. And scary. And a huge wake up call. Thanks for sharing and the reminder to take safety seriously.
Reading her blog this morning was really tough. It’s just crazy to see someone so alive suddenly not. It’s easy to brush away many accidents as mere statistics, but when you see a piece of that person’s life, it becomes so much more real.
I agree. Especially given the tone of her most recent post. So hopeful…and she’s just…not here anymore. It’s a horrible feeling.
^^ This.
The whole “instantly not here anymore” thing is surreal. My heart goes out to her family.
She attended Duke, which is in Durham, NC right next to Raleigh where I live. She is still remember fondly here and her loss is being felt hard by the cummunity.
I was stunned when I read about it last night. She was so full of life and had such a great future. Terribly sad. Take care everyone.
I’m just at a loss for words. Incredibly sad and completely scary. I’ve had close calls and it’s terrfying. Please be safe folks, nothing is worth not stopping.
I wasn’t familiar with her blog or her running career, but it’s still saddening news. My thoughts go out to her family.
I think anyone who is active in the outdoors has had a close call. It’s incredibly scary, but a totally unnecessary reminder that we’re not invincible.
Thanks for this post, AR.
Terrible. The vehicle always wins. I ran the Phoenix Marathon this year and watched her for a few moments as she took off on us and ended up winning. So much potential. Gone.
Reading her blog now is terribly sad. So full of life.
So sad.
You posted one of my favorite photos of Sally – so HAPPY, so freakin’ HAPPY to win her hometown race. I feel the same way – never met her but admired her monstrous talent and ripped thighs from afar. How on earth can I fret about not looking like “a runner” when people like her and YOU are out there to show us all it is guts and training and not always weight.
Although it sounds like she f**ked up, it is still sad, still a tragedy. And sucks for the driver, too – now they have to live with having killed someone when it (probably) wasn’t even their fault.
I’m going back through your old posts. I knew Sally–we went to school together and I was friends with people on the Duke track/cross country teams. I didn’t know she had a blog…it makes it even more sad.