Hey Matías

“Hey Matías!” Those were the last words I said to him. I said them on June 15, 2021 while on my run passing by him, calling out my name, while he was driving back from his run. The next day he was gone. It isn’t lost on me that the Miles for Mayo 5K wouldn’t exist if its subject still did. That has made its creation and undertaking something inherently tragic. Because of how hectic this semester has been, I haven’t had time to process the swirl of emotions that came with working (alongside the other committee members) to bring this race to fruition. But now that I’ve gotten ahead in my classes, I’ve been granted a (somber) clarity of thought I wouldn’t have otherwise. Clarity that leads me to dwell on a lot of things. Especially Matías.

Ron, Matías’ father, and I spent the Friday afternoon before the race prepping the course. During that time I asked him how he was able to summon the strength to organize this race. He told me it’d be harder to do nothing at all. He told me that he wanted to make sure Matías wasn’t forgotten. He told me that even if people didn’t know him, that by holding this race for the community that maybe they’d get a glimpse into who he was as a person.

The first interaction I had with Matías was an act of kindness. I met him in my middle school advisory class. I was in 8th grade and he was in 6th grade. I usually sat alone doing my homework because I didn’t have friends to talk to in that class. One day he approached me and told me that he noticed I always sat alone and invited me to sit with him and his friends. I was surprised that he came up to me and offered to invite me into his group. He could have simply carried on with his day and not said anything. But he didn’t, he wasn’t a bystander. I happily obliged his offer to join him and that was when we became friends. Matías was kind. He was so many things and no amount of writing could do justice in describing his wonderful character.

Before the race, I thought that if we were able to bring any positivity from this event for the family, friends, and community then the race would be a success. Since it was our first year and we only had a few months to advertise, I didn’t expect more than 300 signups. Nor could I anticipate the large amount of support for the race that we received from businesses, volunteers, runners, and others in the community. My expectations were blown out of the water. We had 550+ signups, and we raised thousands for the local schools. On the day of the race, his birthday, there was a sea of people wearing the blue and yellow 5K shirt. I saw a plethora of happy faces, and I saw so many smiles. Matías would be proud. He would have loved it. This race brought about more positivity than I could have imagined, and I’m confident that Matías would agree.

#RunFreeMatías #MilesforMayo5K