I purchased my ROAD iD when I started training for the Chicago Marathon. Like many others, I never thought I would ever need to actually use it (spoiler: I was wrong). The day I lined up to run the Chicago Marathon, it was very hot and humid, almost 90 degrees, but I still believed I could accomplish my goal—to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I was on mile 19 when I suffered a major heat stroke and passed out. I don’t remember much, but the medical staff quickly noticed the ROAD iD on my wrist and called my husband. He arrived at the medical tent just as I was being loaded in the ambulance.
Later, while still in the hospital, I was told the race had been cancelled at mile 16 and that 6,500 runners were forced to end their marathon. Hundreds of runners were being transported to different hospitals located close to the race route. The hospitals were taken by surprise and many runners were not as lucky as I was in tracking down their family members.
The Chicago Marathon of 2007 was a chaotic scene, but my ROAD iD saved the day. Two months later on a cool day in Memphis, I qualified for the Boston Marathon. As I lined up in Hopkinton, my thoughts flashed back to that day in Chicago. Moments later, the gun went off and I began the greatest road race I have ever run. My watch was on my left wrist with my ROAD iD on my right. Thank you ROAD iD for developing a unique product that saves critical time in the midst of a crisis.