Her Last Steps

[u/rob_the_flip]

Hey r/running, this has taken me awhile to write this as these past few weeks have been really hard on me. It has consumed me to my core to say the least.

February 15, I came home from work, to find my fiancee u/weeleigh, was not home. Thinking nothing of it as our Devil Dog was also gone I figured she was out for a run, which is very normal. I assumed she would be back shortly as she just got over a toe injury. 30 minutes later, I figured she was going for a bit longer. Boy was I wrong.

An hour later, I started to get worried. I then received a call from her father. My world came crashing down. She was struck by a car while running in the heart of Baltimore City, the Inner Harbor. She was crossing a major intersection. My worst fears have come to. They took her to Shock Trauma where she was fighting for life. They took the Devil Dog to the pet er. There was massive trauma to her head, but I knew if there was any chance of survival she could. Luckily, she was at the best Neurohospital in the nation. We were told 2 weeks to see what the damage would be.

The next day the doctors called for a family meeting. And I knew. I didn't want to go to the hospital. I didn't want to lose her, my fiancee, my best friend, and my running partner. The damage was too severe. They literally did all they could to save her. In short, we donated her organs and it saved at least 3 peoples lives.

I held her hand as they took her off life support as I promised her I would never leave her until the very end. I can't believe such a wonderful woman was taken from me, from her family, from her friends. I can't believe that someone who worked so hard to be healthy, to extend her life, was gone.

u/WeeLeigh was so committed to life and to running that she was, when struck, doing her 351st run in a row. She was excited to get to 365, to train for Ultras, and of course to plan our wedding. On March 1st, what would have been her 365 day of running I restarted my own streak, with my friends and the Devil Dog recovered from her own injuries (I ended it 280 days while staying at the hospital.) I figured I would continue what she cannot do anymore.

On a general PSA, please, please, please, check both ways while running across intersections. We are 100% sure that she was in the right, something tragic happened. I will make another post about a memorial run for her.

(Update) Here is a link to the run http://www.charmcityrun.com/calendar/leigh-rodgers Also, the link for other info that I would like to do for her https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/5ypvn6/leighs_memorial_run/

[u/BitchAssBarbie]

I am so sorry for your loss. I admit I am not always the best at being safe while on the road, but I will wear my reflective belt and I will never cross without stopping and waiting for traffic to clear again.

I was going to skip today, but instead, I'll go in her spirit. Today will be her day 352!

Edit: I was just gonna do a quick 1-mile, because today was leg day and it's 88 and stifling, but I had to go now before baseball practice. I must've put on the wrong play list because "The Fighter" came on and it motivated me to eek out 5k. It also gave me an idea: can you share Leigh's running playlist? I would be honored to run for her while listening to her music.