A little more than four years ago today, on February 9th, 1997, to be precise, I first "met" the person who was later to become my wife. I had run the Tybee Island Marathon the day before. In my goodie-bag I found an America Online disk with instructions on how to navigate to the Runner's World chat room. As soon as I got home, I logged on, and entered the room as a "newbie." From that point on, my life would never be the same.
There were many runners in the chat room that night, but one in particular stood out. "HDO262" was the screen name. In case you were wondering, it was not exactly love at first sight. Internet introductions can leave a lot to the imagination. In fact, it took a few days before I even learned that the "H" stood for Harriet, and that the "262" represented the 26.2 miles of a marathon.
She started out a friend who shared my passion for running. For several months, we corresponded, staying mainly on the subject of running. We were two friends who met with other friends on an almost nightly basis in the chat room. Our romantic interest was still far off in the distance.
Our first face-to-face meeting took place several months later at the New York City Marathon. Members of the chat room had planned an encounter, and a local runner in New York worked very hard to arrange a boat party, which was held a couple of nights before the race.
By then Harriet and I had gotten to know each other quite a bit better, and we were eager to meet. About 60 chat-room members converged from all over the country on a beautiful early autumn evening, and enjoyed the sights of the city as they could only be seen from the water. It was an evening I will never forget, for a variety of reasons.
The entire weekend was memorable, to say the least. By the time the events of the marathon were over, and everyone went their separate ways, Harriet and I both knew that the chat room alone could no longer bring us the degree of closeness we both desired. The friendship was blossoming into something more than e-mail alone could satisfy.
In early spring of 1998, Harriet made a very bold move, figuratively and literally, and joined me in Atlanta. She had lived her entire live in Southern California, but she's never been one to back down from a challenge, or an adventure. The same drive and determination that had helped her qualify for the Boston Marathon served her well as she adjusted to the very different lifestyle of Atlanta.
Our relationship strengthened over time, as we discovered we had much more in common than just running. Running, in fact, was not the glue that held us together. It was the magnet that initially pulled us together. But what has kept us running together has been everything else.
I realized over time that I had truly found my soul-mate and sole mate, so early last year I asked Harriet if she would be my marathon woman for life. She readily agreed, and on July 23rd, we became husband and wife. We are in this one for the long run, and to the finish.
It was just over 4 years ago that I first entered the Runner's World chat room, and now you know the rest of the story. The America Online chat room no longer exists, but many of the friendships that started there live on.