THE MUSINGS OF INTERN TIM
volume 1
Each summer at Big River Running Company we hire an intern or two to help us out with anything and everything at the store. This year our West County Intern, Tim Butterfield, just happens to be a writer and so we figured he could test our his skills by writing a few articles for the website. Here is his first piece...an article on the All Star Game 5k in downtown Saint Louis.
THE ALL STAR GAME 5k
I'm not sure if I'd call myself a baseball fan who runs, or a runner who happens to be a baseball fan. I'm inclined to go with the latter: but, regardless of how I label myself, one thing is for sure – the MLB All-Star Charity 5K was the race for me. 
I found out about this race when the event flyer hanging on the wall in the Big River Running Company store caught my eye. I immediately signed up. I had heard that several thousand runners would be participating in the race, so I decided to train pretty lightly and not worry too much about my performance. A few 3-mile time trials on the track, and I was ready to roll.
Race morning was beautiful: overcast and cool. Yes, this race was in St. Louis, but the summer humidity and rain seemed to have taken, like the professional ballplayers, a few days off for the festivities. Folks of all age and ability warmed up beside Busch Stadium, chatting with one another, listening to music, and searching the crowd desperately for the event's host: Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
I, however, was on the prowl for ballplayers. I had heard that several Hall of Famers would be at the event, and I was anxious to look upon the legends. At 7:20 AM, with only 10 minutes until the start, I found a spot at the starting line. The 5,000-plus crowd of runners swarmed around me, just as excited as I to begin the baseball-themed race. Many runners, remembering the occasion for the race that morning, were wearing Cardinal red.
After glancing at the shoes of choice for the runners standing near me, I looked up just in time to see a suavely-dressed mustachioed man walking towards the elevated platform beside the starting line. There was no mistaking it: the man was Rollie Fingers, Hall of Fame pitcher in the '70s and '80s. And he was right there in front of me.
I have my idols in the sports world, and I'm pretty easily star-struck. Countless experiences have proved to me that elite athletes are people just like you and me who happen to be talented in fields that receive an overload of media attention. This publicity is what has allowed me to spot athletes in the real world, and it usually has the power to strike me senseless. I stood open-mouthed on the streets of Boston last April as I watched Kara Goucher fly by. I lost my voice when I approached Ozzie Smith in a St. Louis post office to ask for his autograph several years ago. When I spotted Bill Rodgers by my side at the 7 th mile of a half marathon last October, I could hardly speak to the man, so I just stayed right behind him for the rest of the race.
On the morning of the All-Star 5K, I was one of the 5,000-plus runners crowded behind the starting line as Rollie Fingers began to walk towards us. Vince Coleman, former Cardinals speedster, emerged from behind Rollie, strolling with a huge grin on his face. The reason for his smile? Oh, he had just met Shawn Johnson, who was now following the two ballplayers up to the platform.
Rollie, Vince, and Shawn were introduced from atop the podium, and some moving words were spoken by Sherry Lansing, Nancy Brinker, and Michael Milken – the foundation heads of Stand Up To Cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation (SU2C). Each and every runner was thus reminded of the charity for which he or she was running.
Prepared and excited to run hard for a great cause, I re-tied my shoes and readied myself for the start. The race began when the gun was fired by none other than Cardinal Hall of Famer Lou Brock. The course was absolutely beautiful. Although St. Louis is a very clean and attractive city, it was clear that a fantastic tidy-up job had been carried out in the days leading up to All-Star Weekend.
We raced from Busch Stadium and past the brand-new Citygarden with the enthusiasm such an event deserved. I spotted a few Big River shirts, and tried to keep up with those runners. We ran hard and the effort was strenuous, but it was so rewarding to reach the turnaround point and look down at the long road of runners behind us. Thousands of runners, joggers, and walkers were flocked together, all moving forward to reach the same goal.
I reached the finish line less than four minutes after the winner, Zac Freudenburg. Upon receiving my rather attractive finisher's medal, I returned to the finishing line to watch the rest of the field complete the race. It was awesome to see everyone cross the line. Many runners, my dad included, ran hard to the end, achieving PRs. Middle and high school runners sprinted together to the end with huge smiles on their faces. Young children walked over the line with their parents and grandparents beside them.
Some racers finished in 20 minutes. Others took twice that time. The last finisher crossed the line one hour after Freudenburg. But regardless of each participant's official time, the race was a victory for everyone whose life has been affected by cancer in some way. Everyone who crossed that finish line felt amazing, and endorphins could only take partial credit for that. We could all rejoice in knowing that we had played a role in raising money for a very good cause. The celebrities in attendance weren't there to make us drop our jaws; they were there to remind us that they are people who, just like so many others, have been affected by cancer in one way or another. They showed up to support this cause and have a blast during the All-Star Break in America's greatest city, and I was honored to participate and be in attendance.
--Tim Butterfield
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Big River Running Company
14059 Manchester Road
Manchester, MO 63011
636.394.5500
5352 Devonshire Ave
Saint Louis, MO 63109
314.832.2400