A last jog for two friends

(Pictured: Chris, Sean and myself)

On the last Wednesday of October two runners jogged side-by-side around the stadium track, chatting as they made their way gently around the circuit in the evening darkness. The stadium floodlights cast areas of brightness and shadow across the scene.

I was one of the two. The other was Chris, who was there to say goodbye to his running friends and to the weekly track training sessions that he has been a part of for the past decade.

I've known Chris since I arrived on the island, both as a runner and as a friend. Only a year or so separates us in age, and our ability as runners meant we have remained very closely matched across the past eight years. So much so that on any given race day it was always tricky to predict which of us would cross the finish line first.

As we jogged around the track we chatted about life and running, and Chris reflected that as he has become older he now treats running more as a lifestyle - a chance to enjoy being in the company of others and sharing the experience, rather than focusing on personal bests or high-ranking results.

He's right. The greatest joy running gives is the camaraderie and friendship that builds through the years. A bond is created with people who become an integral and welcome part of your life.

So there we were, two figures jogging in the distance under the light and shadows of the stadium's illumination. To an outsider that's all we would have been, just two men jogging a lap side-by-side on a dark night.

But for Chris and I it was the sharing a last few minutes together, a last jog, thinking about our race day exploits and the years that have gone by since we first met. Chris is starting a new job half-the-world away. Someday he will surely return to the island for a visit - and a run. I hope I am here to join him or, if not here, then someplace else where we get to run a race together.