During the Jeju half-marathon, I couldn’t stop smiling. Pain and fatigue are nonexistent. I am a person who feels things deeply, but as runners surge forward and crowds dance and high-five us, I am struck by an incredible hope. No, not hope, it is a reality to be more in touch with: if we can run together like this, embracing our commonalities and differences, strangers or friends, each giving our best; and by coming together, we become better than when we are left on our own –– then what challenge can’t humanity overcome? Ocean waves crumble at the shore, the breeze brings a refreshing salty scent. I look up and see the aquamarine sky. Everything seems too perfect. I keep running to take it all in. A big hug, Erica