SIGMA::BLOG

The NY Marathon.  Yes!  What an amazing event – - people of all types, from all over the world (young, old, beginner, elite) running for a reason.  Some reason.  In memory of a loved one, to get a personal best time, to raise money for a cause, to win the gold, or…to just to say they did it.  That was me.  I thought, “Sure! I can run 26.2 miles! I’ll be able to check it off my list. So I signed up, and about 5 months ago, I started to run. Boy did I run. Before work. During work. After work. And especially, on the weekends.  I really should have done more, but I ran out of time. On race day I was nervous. I realized I had over committed. I was under trained.  And I was intimidated. By the “real runners” and, of course, the streets of NYC.

Over five hours, you have a lot of time to think. My family, my life, my dog, …my legs.  One thought I kept coming back to was Sigma.  My second home. The place I came to 10 years ago, instantly inspired by what “could be” with some elbow grease, a big idea and a little luck. During those 26.2 miles, I realized that the NYC Marathon – with all the hard work that goes into it, the intimidation, the need to reinvent yourself mile after mile and the determination it requires to actually finish – is just like Sigma.  We are among a sea of agencies who go up against the Madison Avenue elite, all the time trying to win over clients who think big ideas only come from big agencies. We roll up our sleeves and get it done in any way can. We are driven by our competitive nature and a passion to succeed.  We think of new ways to service clients and win business – just as I found new ways to check off mile after mile both mentally and physically. And, of course, we love what we do and are inspired by that thing we called creativity. As I ran through those five boroughs I was reminded what an amazing place NYC is… diversity, intrigue, excitement, drama. The people and the crowds were so amazing. They carried me, a non-runner, through the course and into Central Park where I crossed that finish line and got my medal. I realized you don’t have to be an elite runner – - or a so called “real runner” to cross that finish line.   And I realized that for Sigma – - through all of its inspiration, creativity and glory – -  we have every right to be there – - at that table with the big guys.  They are no different than us.

So now I’m a marathoner.  And I’m proud of it.  I spent 5 months running, a lifetime preparing and dug deep to get across that finish line.  I counted on my heart to carry me through. And besides being a marathoner – I’m a Sigmite.  More than just showing up –  I’m doing it. I’m digging deep, I’m changing the game, and I’m getting the finishers medal.  As for the Marathon, I’ll run again next year – I want to get a better time (more to brag about vs. just saying you finished).  And Sigma?  We’re not just showing up. We’re reinventing, we’re setting a new pace – - we’re letting our hearts lead us – - and who knows – - maybe one day we’ll enter the race as one of the “elite” few.  Time, and more miles, will tell.

Tags: NY Marathon, shannon morris, Sigma Group

This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm and is filed under Potpourri. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.