Sometimes you run for fun, and sometimes you run for something you believe in, so last night we did both.
Here in Memphis there is an ongoing debate about the use of Overton Park. The zoo has started using the grassy area of the park (the Greensward) for overflow parking and unfortunately hasn’t reached any compromise to the parking debacle.
Needless to say, our household is very pro-Greenward/pro-park. We regularly run through park, go to concerts in the park, and take Izzy to the Greensward for off-leash playtime and our belief is that park is NOT a parking lot. (I won’t get into details, but for context there is also a very long history of Memphians advocating for Overton Park that has gone all the way to the Supreme Court - so the park is a big deal.)
Last night was the zoo’s annual 4 mile run, which we usually do to kickoff our Memorial Day festivities. This year though, a group of runners sat out the official race and held our own Greensward run before the race and then cheered on the zoo runners while showing our support for the park. It rained (okay, actually it poured), but it was a cause worth supporting and of course there was beer to be had. One step closer to showing City Council that the citizens of Midtown love and protect our parks.
PS- Eric ran the official zoo race in a Greensward singlet. Stick it to the man.