Running made me closer to my sons. Two years ago my youngest son got an F in PE because he did not know how to run. I patiently trained him to run with me. Just last week, he finished his first half marathon in Huntington Beach with an impressive time of 2 hours & 8 minutes. I feel very much fulfilled.
Running gave me friends. One example is during my first Ridgecrest Marathon. My friend wanted to give up after 45K of running. I patiently encouraged and stayed with him. It took us a grueling 6 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds to finish together. Now this friend is a very good and close one to me.