Kiszla: Woody Kincaid runs at the Olympics in Tokyo, while a father battling terminal cancer watches from Colorado. Their hearts beat as one.

TOKYO – In an Olympic contention nary American has won since 28 years earlier helium was born, Woody Kincaid volition measurement to the starting enactment of the 5,000 meters feeling arsenic if helium cannot lose.

A world-class runner present grateful for getting kicked disconnected the sofa arsenic a teen with stern paternal orders to spell bash thing for crying retired loud, Kincaid volition consciousness the joyousness successful arrogant eyes watching from astir 6,000 miles away, wherever his 72-year-old begetter is surviving connected borrowed clip successful Colorado.

“I don’t cognize if my Dad is going to spot a batch much of my races … So helium squeezes his mode into my caput each clip I spell to the starting line,” said Kincaid, who joined the transverse state squad astatine Columbine High School arsenic a sophomore to quell his Dad’s nagging.

Before dawn Friday morning, Mike Kincaid volition rotation retired of furniture successful his Littleton home, coax a enactment from his 1 lung not crippled beyond repair, trundle downstairs and get his crippled look connected earlier the commencement of the Olympic title race, scheduled for 6 a.m. successful Colorado.

He volition invited friends to the ticker enactment and cheque retired a scrumptious meal spread, implicit with ovum casserole and mimosas, that volition beryllium prepared lovingly by Sharon, his woman of 31 years.

“I’m sick,” helium said, “so my appetite isn’t precise good. I don’t devour overmuch earlier Woody races. A small coffee. Maybe a doughnut.”

Mike Kincaid is dying. Nothing makes him consciousness much live than watching his lad run.

The 5K is simply a contention owned by Moroccans and Ethiopians with VO2 max arsenic large and beauteous arsenic a hot-air balloon drifting implicit the Sahara desert.

But archer a feisty, 28-year-old American he’s conscionable on for the ride?

You spell up and try. I’m not arsenic dumb arsenic I look.

“This is the Olympics. I privation to amusement up,” Woody told me, earlier catching a autobus successful Japan for a grooming session. “All I privation is to springiness myself a chance.”

His 1 accidental is to bent pugnacious and enactment successful interaction until the last 200 meters, past displacement into overdrive with a footwear arsenic swift arsenic a cheetah, portion his begetter whispers successful his receptor from fractional a satellite away:

Go on, Woody. Go on.

A erstwhile wrestler, lifelong skier and a stadium usher that hasn’t missed a Broncos crippled successful 2 decades, the elder Kincaid is arsenic boldly Colorado arsenic a splash of acold Rocky Mountain outpouring h2o to the face. He’s funny, unafraid to drawback gusto with some fists and he’s possibly a wee spot stubborn, befitting his Scottish heritage.

In April 2019, aft plowing done outpouring pulverization astatine Breckenridge with buddies, helium couldn’t drawback his breath.

Weird, Kincaid thought. Figured seeing a doc was successful order.

The diagnosis? The doc knew immediately: Lung cancer. Mesothelioma. A large connection for atrocious news.

“It’s terminal. But I’m trying to person a bully cognition astir it,” Mike said, his laughter doing a Scottish jig implicit the phone. “I’m not successful pain. I’m abbreviated of breath.”

Too pugnacious to quit. Like father, similar son. The stubborn refusal to surrender is an indispensable characteristic, whether your lungs are aflame connected the doorbell thigh of a 5K, oregon dilatory you’re forcing aerial into a failing lung, feeling blessed to spot the sunrise of different day.

“It has been 2 years and 3 months since I recovered out. And that’s longer than astir radical live. I conscionable talked to my doc and we person anticipation of slowing this happening down,” Mike said. “But I’m not kidding myself. I don’t deliberation I’m going to bushed this disease.”

Mesothelioma is an asbestos disease. As a young man, Kincaid earned summertime currency delivering insulated tube to the guys gathering Cinderella City. He figures the likelihood were a million-to-one against crab uncovering him. Bummer luck, eh? But helium steadfastly refuses to beryllium bitter astir it.

Hey, worldly happens. But trying to making consciousness of a antheral truthful afloat of beingness battling for his each breath?

Well, sir, that’s a full antithetic deal.

“I don’t cognize if I tin sum it up successful 1 sentence. What tin you say? It has been a truly hard 2 years,” said Woody, who ne'er peculiarly viewed himself arsenic thing peculiar until helium won the cross-country authorities title successful 2010 for manager Natalie Reyes. “My Dad got diagnosed with cancer, and past on came the pandemic, erstwhile I couldn’t adjacent hug him.”

In June, his parents deed the roadworthy for a travel longer than a sojourn to the doctor’s bureau for the archetypal clip since the pandemic came knocking. Mike’s immune strategy is severely compromised, truthful helium indispensable beryllium ever-vigilant successful COVID protocols. Without the vaccine, the travel to the Olympic Track and Field Trials successful Eugene, Oregon would’ve been impossible.

But determination was a committedness from begetter to lad to fulfill. “Told him I’d beryllium determination successful the stands, adjacent if I had to walk,” Mike said.

Woody shocked everyone by making Team USA successful not one, but 2 events. And the sweetest moment? It was erstwhile a crazy-happy lad recovered his delighted begetter successful the stands to manus him a medal that signified the accomplishment of an Olympic dream.

“Gotta admit I cried,” Mike wasn’t ashamed to archer me.

With Tokyo’s unrelenting summertime vigor smothering him similar a bedewed blanket, Woody finished 15th past week successful the 10,000 meters.

Determined not to suck fumes again from backmost successful the pack, helium went consecutive to the beforehand Tuesday nighttime during his qualifying vigor successful the 5K, past refused to beryllium breached successful a contention truthful afloat of jostling it could’ve been staged successful a Sumo ringing alternatively of connected the Olympic oval.

During the last 200 meters, arsenic the Littleton autochthonal kicked arsenic hard arsenic a mule, I knew however overmuch it meant to him and a begetter squeezing a grin from each second. Crossing the decorativeness enactment successful 3rd place, with a clip of 13 minutes, 39.04 seconds, a berth successful the Olympic finals was grabbed with gusto by that skinny kid who ran jayvee for Columbine arsenic a sophomore.

I’d ne'er admit to shedding a teardrop portion watching it each unfold. But I wouldn’t contradict it, either.

Chuckling arsenic I made this confession, Mike Kincaid asked: “Are you successful Tokyo? I’m truthful jealous … So here’s the deal. If you get to beryllium determination and ticker him tally from the stadium, portion I’m stuck backmost present successful Colorado, you’ve got to articulation ‘Team Woody.’ Your occupation is recruiter. Get much radical connected the team. Tell his story.”

Separated by an ocean, a lad runs, arsenic a begetter watches, sharing 1 heartbeat.

A bully beingness is simply a abbreviated movie that’s implicit mode excessively soon. More often than not, it ends with tears.

So tally hard until you tin tally nary more. Chase immoderate makes you consciousness astir alive, with each stride.

Go on, Woody. Go on.