With the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon behind us, I’m reminded of the positive impact running has had on the lives of three ladies who have bonded for life through the sport. Our trio of veteran marathoners is celebrating a 30th anniversary of friendship, runners whose chosen sport was part “fairy godmother, sometimes a painful teacher, but always a faithful companion,” as defined by Ellen Hart in Colorado Sports Monthly. Joanne has run nine marathons. Linn has finished four and I have run two and a half, the half being the first half of the 2000 Rock ’n’ Roll on June 4, 2000 and the last race I entered. Although we’ve hung up our running shoes for tennis, golf and aerobic shoes, we reflect on running as a spiritual choice as well as a healthful choice, a friendship choice. At one time, we three runners considered celebrating our silver anniversary of friendship five years ago by running the Rock ’n’ Roll 2004, but in 2009 we may hoist a Gatorade with a little something stronger in it and reflect on where we’ve been, where we’re going and what running has taught us. First of all, with due respect to the gay and lesbian population so visible in the news these days: Thirty years ago, before rainbow flags appeared as symbols of gay pride, we three became the Rainbow Runners and dressed accordingly: hats, shorts, shirts. Joanne, the one with the nine marathons under her belt, including Boston and New York, was a runner-up in the Miss America Contest behind Maryann Mobley and ahead of Anita Bryant in the early ’60s, but she knew there were no beauty queens at 20 miles. Linn once ran 20 miles of the San Diego Marathon with a stress fracture, her tenacity upended by a medical crew pulling her off course. The three of us gathered one June morning in 1979 at Mission Bay to run together in preparation for the San Diego Marathon. Mutual friends encouraged us to get together for training since we loved running. At first we ran the 8.5-mile course around Mission Bay past SeaWorld and around Crown Point, through the campus of Mission Bay High, with a finish at the information center. We did this run once a week. On Sundays we would gather with a group training at Mission Bay and run various distances. Friends would ask how we could run while talking so much. Conversation has never been a problem for us. In 1980 we headed north, me by plane and the other two with spouses in a VW bus, to the Avenue of the Giants Marathon, a beautiful out-and-back course through the redwoods. I’m the only one who dreams of one more marathon. I recall entering the 2000 Rock ’n’ Roll. On the uphill leg of the run on Route 163, at mile 7 or 8, a guy on the sideline yelled, “The Kenyans have already finished!” I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. At the half I quit, worked my way back to the start in Hillcrest where my car was and decided to take up golf. The Rainbow Runners, celebrating 30 years of friendship through running, encourage marathoners to pace themselves. Runners and joggers develop more than good lungs from their sport. They bond with their running partners and realize what a gift running is. Hopefully, the first-time Rock ’n’ Rollers had some fun along the way last Sunday. With bands playing at every mile, the music should have washed over them as they pounded the pavement. Hopefully, they’ve been blessed with friends to run with. A special blessing to the back of the pack even though “the Kenyans have already finished.” Sandy Lippe is a retired University City High School English teacher.