28,000 participants from 48 states and another 7,000 volunteers and spectators... all hanging out in the hot Arizona sun to pay tribute to Pat Tillman and raise money for scholarships for veterans. It was a pretty incredible experience.
My sister in law Kerri and I finally at the start... we had to wait almost 40 minutes for all the corrals in front of us to go. I was not about to faint in this picture. Just kidding I totally was.
This was Kerri's and my first race. My brother is a badass triathlete, finished in the top 5% in a Tough Mudder the week before this race, and is training for the Ironman, so a 4.2 mile trot is like 1/4th of a warmup for him. He was kind enough to act as our personal photographer on the course!
We saw Jeff Lewis, a quadruple amputee and owner of the world's best web address (http://www.dontworryaboutme.com/) on the course and were just in awe.
The race ended on the 42 yard line of Sun Devil Stadium. As we got closer, we could hear Beat It filtering out of the stadium and I had the terrible idea to try to dance the rest of the way. That lasted for all of 3 seconds before I realized I needed every last drop of energy just to get to the finish line.
Having strangers cheering you on really does motivate you. Especially if they have funny signs!
This was one of the things I was most looking forward to- high fiving all the Sun Devils in the final stretch. Kerri and I agreed it was pretty awesome! I love super-excited guy next to super-stoic guy. This picture kills me!
I couldn't resist buying this file from the professional photographers because you just can't beat a triumphant shot the finish line of your first race ever. Maybe next time they'll get us in focus instead of the bleachers 200 yards away.
It was an insanely awesome day (and weekend) and I can't wait to do it again next year. (Faster!) I had the best time with Matt and Kerri and am so excited that we got to share such a big milestone... so it makes sense to end with a three amigos shot!
