Published: June 15th, 2008 03:04 AM
Last Modified: June 15th, 2008 04:35 AM
ERIK HILL / Anchorage Daily News
Two-year-old twins Kiera and Abbey Markell blow kisses to Star the reindeer as they pull over for a quick visit.
Years ago, before she moved to Girdwood, my friend Deb Essex drove along Lake Otis each morning on her way to work. Many days she would spot the same woman, usually wearing a baseball cap, running along the adjacent bike trail.
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A runner herself, Deb was intrigued by the woman's metronomic consistency -- steady pace, day after day, weather no obstacle.
"I always thought, 'She runs my pace, I should meet her, maybe run with her,' '' Deb recalled. "Then I'd think, 'I can't meet her. She'll make me run on the days I don't want to run.' "
Fast forward to the Alaska Run for Women some years ago. As Deb remembers it, she was nearing the race's end, on the track at Anchorage Football Stadium, when a woman ahead of her bounded across the finish line, a portrait in euphoria. The woman wore a pink hat, which signified she was a cancer survivor. That stranger's exuberance marked a turning point for Deb.
"She threw her arms up in the air, she leaped across the finish line in joy, and she and her friends and family celebrated,'' Deb said. "I started crying. Bawling my eyes out.
"My aunt had died of breast cancer at 43. I saw that woman celebrating and it was great to make the switch from mourning to joy and celebration. I will never forget it.''
Fast forward again, this time to a few months ago. One evening Deb sat down to design a piece of art for the Run for Women, which for 16 years has been both an emotional and delightful touchstone in our community. Annually, the event draws more than 4,000 women to run or walk -- about 4,500 weathered Saturday morning's rain -- and it has raised about $2.5 million for breast cancer research, outreach and education.
In her mind's eye, Deb replayed that finish line moment as her inspiration for a piece that depicts a leaping woman, arms raised in triumph, against a backdrop of mountains. A pink ribbon that reads "2008 Alaska Run for Women'' serves as a finish-line tape.
Eventually, Deb figured out the woman she based her art on was Mary Flanigin, a long-time fixture in local running races who beat breast cancer in 1985.
Deb had never met Mary, which was actually puzzling because Deb is one of those people who seems to know everyone, or at least has some connection to everyone.
Need a phone number for someone? Call Deb. If she doesn't have it, she knows someone who does. It's all very Six Degrees of Deb Essex. She's one of those people the writer Malcolm Gladwell in his book "The Tipping Point'' calls Connectors, "people with a special gift for bringing the world together'' because "they have a foot in many worlds.''
Fast forward one last time, to Saturday morning at the finish of the Run for Women. After she finished the race, Deb told me she would love to meet Mary Flanigin. Easy enough. Earlier, I'd seen Mary's husband, Pat. Spotting him among hundreds of folks on the AFS field was simple -- Pat's a 6-foot-10 former pro basketball player, so he tends to stand out in a crowd. More so when he's wearing a bicycle helmet, like Saturday.
Locating Pat, I introduced Deb and told him why she wanted to meet Mary.
"The Lady of Lake Otis?'' Pat said.
"That's her?'' Deb said, the Connector making the connection. "I used to see her running. She was there every single morning.''
Soon, Mary arrived, and the two women were introduced. Deb, 39, told Mary, 58, she was the model for her piece of art. Mary appeared pleased to the point of being shocked -- and definitely humbled.
"You inspire a lot of people, whether you know it or not,'' Deb told Mary.
"Every year, you see more pink hats,'' Mary said. "It's an honor to run with these women.''
Deb told Mary she used to see her running along Lake Otis, and they shared a laugh about it.
"The Lunatic of Lake Otis,'' Mary joked.
For Deb, the Run for Women has become even more personal over the past year. Her sister, Shari, who lives in Australia, was diagnosed with breast cancer and has endured chemotherapy.
For Mary, this race will always be personal. She survived breast cancer, but is ever mindful that many women don't.
"I am the lucky one,'' she said, "so, yes, this is my favorite race. The pink hats, all the gathering, supporting -- this is the good part. Life isn't perfect, but this race is.''
As some of the last runners and walkers neared the finish, the rain that had stopped before the start of the race returned and began falling harder.
"You hear more about breast cancer now,'' Mary said. "There are these events. You have so much more support.
"The soul's eternal. I believe that. Maybe the people who have died are these raindrops. They're watching over us.''
All Deb knows is there is something very special about Mary, the woman she had never met until Saturday morning. Mary buoyed her years ago as Deb grieved over the death of her aunt, and buoyed her again this year as she designed her piece of art in honor of her sister's fight against breast cancer.
"Now,'' Deb said, "she's inspired me twice.''
This column is the opinion of reporter Doyle Woody. Find his hockey blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
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