Chase That Dream

With March Madness nearing its’ end, I began thinking about how most elite athletes train all their life for a chance to play their sport on a professional level, and even then only a few make it.  This then got me thinking about opposite; the dedicated athlete that does not necessarily start young or even middle-aged. What possibly drives them? Back in 2001, when I was just 4 years old, I traveled to Spain to watch my father and his five brothers run the Barcelona Marathon. Why did my father decide to run a marathon and why did he pick Barcelona to run it?  A few years later, I remember asking those questions and the answers all led to my grandfather, Ramon Oliu.

My grandfather was born outside of Barcelona, in a small mountain-side town. He came to the U.S. where he worked as a Chemical Engineer and raised 7 children.  When he was in his late forties, he had problems with depression, along with suffering from the wear and tear of raising a family and travelling around the world for work.  At first, he simply wanted to get out of the house, walking to get some fresh air, but slowly he found his recovery in running.  My father told me that my grandfather started by running in place, in the garage. He then ventured out into his housing development, eventually broadening his course to include parks and distant towns, and finally graduated to running races.  His first race was on a horse track in Freehold, NJ. In a few years, he was running marathons… Jersey Shore, Boston and ultimately – New York!

In 1977, his company had him transfer to Barcelona. There he found a very small and fragmented running community. He worked to show them the joy in running and eventually the group expressed a sincere desire to race. At that time, the city and surrounding areas held no marathons. Hence, my grandfathers mission to organize the first marathon in Barcelona. Easy it was not, but he found a way to make it happen. Because they feared the sporting event would cost the town a great deal of money, he was initially fought by the local government, as approval for the marathon required the sign off of three judges. Unfortunately, only 1 judge would sign off. The law, however, did not specify that the judges had to be in Barcelona, so my grandfather went to another state and had two more judges give the ok. That move did not sit well with the local government, but my grandfather’s cause was gaining momentum and he was gaining cult status.

Next, my grandfather had to provide maps measuring the course. With Goggle Maps non-existent then, he took a bicycle and measured the front wheel.  He and his team then pushed the bike, along the proposed route, to know the distance traveled.  I’m sure the locals sitting at the outdoor tapas bars must have thought that my grandfather was a mad scientist of some sort as he donned a lab coat, clipboard and calculator while his group pushed the bike calling out revolutions turned!

In the end, my grandfather was tasked with outlining the course, securing permits, outlining race procedures and most importantly he had to introduce Spain to the benefits of running, including physical & mental health.  He would not let the local government stop his goal, and on March 12, 1978, the first Barcelona Marathon was held with 185 runners participating.  However, just a few weeks ago, the 2017 marathon had over 20,000 runners, including 6 Olympic Medalists.

In 2001, my grandfather was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s.  In honor of his achievements, my father, his 5 brothers as well as numerous cousins and other family members travelled to Barcelona to run the marathon.  None had ever run a marathon before, but they all finished.  In the end, when I think of a true athlete, I think of someone who has a passion and love for their sport and nothing more.

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