Half Marathon Man

This past weekend, Lige competed in his first Half Marathon. It was held in Dallas on a glorious Sunday morning. The weather was perfect: Mid 50's, sunshine, crystal blue sky, and the smell of fall in the air. Lige was one of 5ooo runners. It was quite a sight to see them all together.
This was taken right before the official start.

The kids and I were there the whole time. We spent time on the playground, had a picnic snack in an open field, and watched as the racers started coming in.

Amana asked me why people run these kinds of races. I told her for lots of different reasons. Some people run because they love it, some run to be healthy, some (like Daddy) run to honor God, and others run to raise money for important causes. As we finished discussing this, a walker was just about to cross the finish line of the 5K held at the same time as the Half Marathon. She wore her purple Team in Training shirt (TIT is an organization that walks and runs to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). On this woman's shirt were the names of 4 people she was walking in memory or honor of. Let me tell you, this was not an athlete. She was a very large woman. Tears sting my eyes as I type this, just thinking of this woamn's gesture of love and sacrifice. Every step she took was a step of great love...it was not easy for her, but because she loved and had a cause, she was able to do something great. We can't all be great at everything, but we can all do something. That woman encouraged me want to live better.

Amana collected yellow leaves to give to Lige as he crossed the finish line. All three times Lige has finished a race, Amana bursts into tears. I asked her why she was crying. She said, "Because Daddy did his best and I'm so proud of him." I also thought it was sweet that Amana called the finish line "The Champion Spot". For us lowly spectators, just crossing the finish line indeed makes you a champion!

This is Lige on the home stretch. He'd set a goal for himself to finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I knew he could do it, but I must admit I was a little nervous. Around the 2 hour 20 minute mark, the kids and I made our way to the fence near the "champion spot". I was hoping for 2:30, but honestly, I was preparing for 2:40+. So you can imagine how my heart soared as Lige came around the final curve with his goal time in sight!

This is Lige crossing into the Champion Spot. (In the bright yellow, with his arms held high!) His gun time was 2:32:57:00. Everyone competed with a microchip fastened to their shoe, so Lige's official time was 2:29:35.76! He finished 2545 out of 3299 official racers. The winner finished in 1 hour and 6 minutes. I was tired just from watching him! And can you believe there were 5 racers over the age of 75!? And they all finished well before the 4 hour time limit! The rest of us have no excuses!