Mary Keitany - The Lover
RUNNER - MARATHON WR HOLDER - KENYA
ARCHETYPE: THE LOVER
Day 1/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Since 2007, Mary Keitany has taken the distance running world by storm. This woman is CRAZY fast. How fast? I don't know. Just the women's marathon world record holder. No big deal. Just pumping out a 5:17 pace for 26.2 miles straight.
But it's not just Keitany's spindly legs that make her a world record holder, a champion, a total BOSS. It's that she is known in the game for having GUTS. When Keitany has a goal in mind, she is renowned for pushing her limits, for not being afraid to go too far in pursuit of something others would consider impossible. In distance running, they call it red lining—running RIGHT UP TO THE RED LINE before you fall apart and have to drop from a race. But if you never cross that red line, there's always a chance you could have run harder, better, faster, stronger. (RIP Daft Punk)
Now, that's HEART. That's next level pursuit of excellence. When you're the best in the game but still raising the bar? Nothing short of madness.
Character Archetype: The Lover
I'm not a romantic, but I know one when I see one. And Mary Keitany runs like poetry—rhythmically, in meters, and until she can barely stanza. (ba-doom, psht! thank you, you've been a great audience, be sure to tip your wait staff.)
But FOR REAL FOR REAL, the way Mary Keitany runs, it's like watching a story of unrequited love. She relentlessly chases the win, the record, the laurel crown at the end of the long journey. But the way Keitany completely gives herself over to winning, to victory, to her goal, there's as much pleasure as pain. She gives of her mind, body, and soul until there's nothing left. If she didn't win all the damn time, it would be a lot more tragic. But for now, Keitany looks prime for a happy ending.
We may never know the devotion, the passion, the unbridled love that Mary Keitany knows for running, for winning, for excellence. That kind of love is special. You have to work for it. You have to sacrifice everything for it. You can't sit back and wait for your love to find you... you have to go and get it. That's why Keitany may be a lover, but she's also a fighter.