About Kevinsmak

My first half marathon was an explosion of emotions.  It took place in Philadelphia which was a long drive, my sister and mother decided to come with me because honestly I didn’t know if I would be able to drive home after the 13.1 mile run.  

I originally signed up for the full marathon thinking I couldn’t be stopped and I can do the whole 26.2 miles but that day I knew my training would be better running the half.  

We got to Philly around 5AM and found parking easily because I was way too early and just waited till it started.  Fast forward to the race starting I’m surrounded by people and I mean surrounded.  They had 23,000 people signed up for this race and to put this in perspective think of going to a concert and watching your favorite band while you are elbow to elbow with all the people in the crowd.  

Now imagine the same thing but you and the crowd are running together, it was exactly like that.  First mile took me a bit to get going but by mile 3 I was flying and feeling great.  

People surrounding the streets cheering and even reading our names on our shirt saying “come on Kevin you got this”.

Early on I passed an elderly man must have been in his 80’s and he as trucking along taking the smallest steps I ever seen but was dedicated to keep going, I really thought this was unbelievable to see.  

At mile 5 I was thinking I can do the whole thing but at that second I learned a big lesson, when you are running in a crowd you can’t see the ground.  There was a pothole in the ground and my right foot went directly into it and threw me forward falling to the ground.  

I was very lucky and the people behind me pulled me up quickly and people basically floated me over to the sidewalk so I didn’t get trampled on.  On the sidewalk there was a couple that said that happens to someone every 30 seconds and indeed 30 seconds later I saw someone else take the same fall.

I decided I would not quit and would continue on and it was very painful till about mile 7 when my foot went numb and I couldn’t feel it anymore.  Fast forward to mile 11 and the feeling came back so much I couldn’t even put weight on it.  

I’m basically keeping all my weight on my right foot and my iPhone dies at the same time so I no longer can get lost in the music to dull the pain.  At this point I see him, the man that I passed early on that was in his 80’s but this time he’s passing me!  

I bit down and sprinted a bit but it didn’t last long and he did overtake me.  I’m almost at the finish line and I’m in pain, tired and feeling defeated but I must get past that line.  

All of the sudden I see the finish line ahead of me in the distance and just then I see someone fall short of the finish line and fall to the ground, the crowd breaks and a nurse and staff surround the guy to keep everyone away from the scene why they try to resuscitate him.  

My sister and mother were standing directly across from where this was happening, what are the odds they picked that exact spot in 13.1 miles to cheer for me.  This was very tough to see, they yelled to me as if to distract me from what is going on so I could finish the last ¼ mile and complete my first half marathon.  

I ended up crossing the line and shortly after that hearing the man that fell will not cross the line and he had died.  As I mentioned this was a roller coast of emotions feeling like I have accomplished something I have never done before and at the same time seeing someone die for the first time.  

Later on that night I would be in the ER having my foot looked at as it was swelled up 2.5 times the size it should have been.

I know this isn’t a running blog this is about how I got into YouTube, all that running did a number on my feet and at one point they got so bad that I couldn’t even walk.  

I needed that excitement that running provided without running and how else could I do that but from YouTube and streaming with awesome people, friends online like you.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read this it does mean a lot to me.  

I started YouTube in May of 2016 with just a few test videos then forgot about it but when I came back and saw I had 13 subscribers I was hooked.

Now I try to get 2-3 videos up a week and stream at least 5 days a week and 7 sessions.  I’m excited for the future so much I just can’t wait to get there but at the same time I have to slow down and enjoy the ride and what I have now.  

I have a beautiful wife I love so much and two boys that keep me on my toes.  Add in a puppy that will eat almost anything in the house and it is an action packed household.