On November 11, 2024 Sid finally said yes to my pestering. Sid was one of those guys that I enjoyed seeing and talking with on group runs. Like me he hasn’t been participating in those group runs lately, which was likely one of his hesitations.
I am so glad he said yes, because his story echoed one told by Elder Corey Howse about how Seth came back to find him at a race. Corey’s story was about a 5K and Sid’s story was a MARATHON in Memphis!
Seth is one of the reasons I decided to run a marathon for the first time.
Sid is one of many Indian immigrants in the area and I was always proud of the group for welcoming him and others with open arms. I am not originally from the South so I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as race relations. It was very encouraging to see that at least this group did not live up to the stereotypes I was worried about experiencing. In fact, after the premiere, Seth emphasized his philosophy for the Franklin Road Runners: “We only see human race.”
I try not to be intentionally motivated by race, but I wanted to show that the run group and Seth are not a clique, they are truly inclusive of all people. I wanted to make sure that was represented on screen. That was one of the reasons we temporarily called this project Run CommUnity.
I knew that Sid was very active in the group for a time, but I didn’t know specifically his relationship with Seth. I honestly had no idea on any of these interviews what people were going to say or share. Sids’s story was way better than I could have imagined and I am so happy and blessed that he said yes to me and the project and I hope he can join us again soon.
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