Pink-Clad Stranger Tells Wearer of Carbon-Plated Shoes That She’s Always Had the Power to Go Fast
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Main image via depositphotos.com
A woman in Kansas was surprised to learn during a run yesterday that the key to going fast lies within her, not her carbon-plated shoes — a message delivered, improbably, by a wand-wielding woman in a billowing pink dress.
Dottie Gale, 34, was about halfway through a nine-mile solo run when the pink-clad woman appeared on the road. Gale said she had paused to stretch a tight hamstring.
“The first thing I noticed was this weird pink bubble, floating down from the sky,” Gale told Dumb Runner in a phone interview. “Finally, the bubble touched the road, and the next thing I know, I’m looking at some lady in a wild pink dress and a big, crazy crown.”
“She said her name was Linda or something.”
Gale said she’s been feeling frustrated with her training lately, so she decided to ask the woman for advice.
“I mean, why not?” she said. “So I asked her, ‘Can you help me? Will you help me?’”
“You don’t need my help,” the woman replied, speaking with an accent Gale couldn’t quite place. “You’ve always had the power to go fast.”
The woman, Gale said, explained that fast race times come from the runner herself, and her willingness to train hard — not from her gear. As she spoke, she pointed to Gale’s shoes, Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 3’s. The shoe retails for $249.95.
Enlightened, Gale continued her run.
Asked what she learned from the experience, Gale paused.
“Well,” she said, “I think it’s that it wasn't enough just to want to run fast. And it's that, if I ever go looking for speed again, I won't look any further than my own body. Because if it isn't there, I never had it to begin with.”
The only witness to Gale’s encounter, a scarecrow in a nearby field, did not respond to a request for comment.
