3rd Person Perspective of Marathon Winners
This past weekend Natalie and Holly competed in the LA Marathon and having done so became my newest heroes! Not only did they run the complete 26.1 miles required for the marathon, some of it uphill some of it downhill, but they also ran it in almost 90 degree weather! They completed the course in just over five and a half hours. Now imagine continuously running for 5.5 hours in hot weather!
I went to cheer both of these girls on and after waiting for over two hours towards the finish line I saw them run by. There were over 20,000 people running in this marathon and I was waiting for just 2, so naturally my biggest fear was that I would miss seeing them run. But sure enough, as I stood and watched in anticipation as more and more people kept streaming by, I saw both Natalie and Holly fighting for the finish line, supporting each other as they ran those few extra yards. I called out to Natalie but she didn't hear me, and then I tried running alongside them for some additional cheering. That failed to work so I gave up and watched them cross over to the winners realm.
It took me forever to find a way over to where I could meet them and then it was a matter of luck of finding one of them. Sure enough though we found each other and celebrated their victory. They of course each had blisters on their feet, and were sore throughout their legs, but it didn't seem to matter. I myself had cut my feet up with my sandals (don't ask) and got a blister on my heel (by the end of it, I felt like I had run part of the marathon).
Blisters and bruises will heal though, and muscles will cease to ache, but what they accomplished through those gruelling 5.5 hours will follow them for the rest of their lives. And if they can do something that incredible, what's stopping us from doing incredible things in our lives? That is why they are my new heroes. It was a fun experience from the spectator's point-of-view, and I truly wish more of us could have been there to see them run. I guess we'll just have to talk them into another marathon....
The Winners
I went to cheer both of these girls on and after waiting for over two hours towards the finish line I saw them run by. There were over 20,000 people running in this marathon and I was waiting for just 2, so naturally my biggest fear was that I would miss seeing them run. But sure enough, as I stood and watched in anticipation as more and more people kept streaming by, I saw both Natalie and Holly fighting for the finish line, supporting each other as they ran those few extra yards. I called out to Natalie but she didn't hear me, and then I tried running alongside them for some additional cheering. That failed to work so I gave up and watched them cross over to the winners realm.
It took me forever to find a way over to where I could meet them and then it was a matter of luck of finding one of them. Sure enough though we found each other and celebrated their victory. They of course each had blisters on their feet, and were sore throughout their legs, but it didn't seem to matter. I myself had cut my feet up with my sandals (don't ask) and got a blister on my heel (by the end of it, I felt like I had run part of the marathon).
Blisters and bruises will heal though, and muscles will cease to ache, but what they accomplished through those gruelling 5.5 hours will follow them for the rest of their lives. And if they can do something that incredible, what's stopping us from doing incredible things in our lives? That is why they are my new heroes. It was a fun experience from the spectator's point-of-view, and I truly wish more of us could have been there to see them run. I guess we'll just have to talk them into another marathon....
The Winners
posted by Chris Burzlaff @ 3/12/2004
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