There’s a stark difference between our lives and those who make a solitary campsite or the back of a van their home. We are stationary many days, walled into the city we live in, taking care of the families and lives we’ve built for ourselves. Quite often, we have to plan our disappearing acts into the world around us, sacrificing the days of picking up a drop bag and going at a moment’s whim. So, with these limitations, why choose the name ‘Vagabond’?
Throughout our lives, my brother and I have chosen to take multiple paths. There was no set course we followed, and a long list of failures and accomplishments that shaped our mental states. As we developed a passion for something, we pursued it. If we saw the end had come, we began to say our goodbyes. In this respect, we received many an awkward glance or condescending comment from people who readily chose to follow an unwavering and narrow path, whether it made them happy or not.
For this reason, we consider ourselves to be vagabonds. Although we may not hit the road to a new town, or adventure as often as some, we are readily available to the changing nature of life and the shifts and stumbles that come along with it. Being tied down to one specific goal, one attainable achievement, does not inspire a passion to keep us moving in our lives. We want to wander. We want to try new things, meet new people, and see new landscapes.
We are not the vagrants of old, meandering from town to town, passing through others’ lives. But, for us, that’s ok. The world changes around us at a steady pace, and often, so do the meanings of words. If I were to express how I felt when I call myself a vagabond it would be as follows:
- To be ready and willing to experience emotions as they come and go freely. To let loose my grip on things that cannot be permanent, and to embrace what is within my reach while I can. And, to experience as much of nature, love, and people as life allows wherever I may find myself.
Our definition is far from perfect, and so are we. But we’ll keep wandering, in our lives, on the road, and with our races for as long as our legs and minds will take us.
This is why you’ll find many of our races won’t repeat. If you see it, and it perks your interest, this may be your one chance to run that race. We want to be free to be inspired by new ideas, new trails, and new experiences. Locking our schedules down to specific events to be repeated year in and year out locks us, and you, into the same routine. We’ll stay tethered for now to Cane Creek, a park that we found a calling in to chase to its fruition.
It might seem odd given that many races are created in hopes to become permanent fixtures, but we’re odd people. And from the group of runners we’ve met at our races so far, y’all are pretty odd too. We love you for that.
We may never fit the romanticized imagery of the vagabond, but our hearts match the desire, and our eyes will keep the horizon in sight to make sure we take the next step toward it when we can.
Cheers to those that find stillness in a restless heart.
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