No day makes me feel luckier to be living in Richmond, VA than Monument 10K day.

I know I wrote something similar this time last year, but I can’t resist trying to put the experience of running in this past Saturday’s event into words.

What gets me most is the spiritual generosity of the people who line the course to show their support. It’s overwhelming. There are the sign-making friends and family members, the middle school cheerleading teams, and the college kids offering beers to runners. There’s the parrot-suit wearing Margaritaville squad, the disproportionately well-represented Clemson alumni association, and the Falun Dafa demonstration team. And then you have the local musicians, who volunteer to lug their amps, drums and PAs into place at 7 something in the morning, plug into strategically placed generators and play with frozen fingers for as long as it takes for 40,000 people to run by. Richmond is always a friendly place, but the feeling of community that grows out of the Monument 10K makes our city feel like the biggest and kindest small town on the face of the Earth. It’s amazing. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

I could go on forever about this, so instead, I thought I’d share a song that does a better job than I ever could of bottling the energy and pride that wells up when you’re running down Monument Avenue with a phalanx of warm-hearted strangers cheering you on. It’s called “RVA All Day” and it’s the title track from No BS! Brass Band’s upcoming (June 14) album. Hope you enjoy, and I hope to see you at next year’s race.

No BS! Brass Band — “RVA All Day” [Soundcloud]