Inspiring Photos

I had plenty going on this weekend, but instead of writing yet another post about my runs or my eating ;), I wanted to share some photos from the Detroit Free Press Marathon yesterday.

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Marathon Relay with my friend Jessica and some of her friends, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.  I mentioned back then that I’ve lived in the Detroit suburbs all my life, but it was when I started college at Wayne State University in Detroit that I really began to feel a love for “my” city.  Then, when my husband and I got married, we lived in the city for four and a half years (from early 1997 to late 2001).  I truly grew to love Detroit during those years, and despite its very hard times, I will forever be a supporter of the Motor City.

Participating in the Marathon last year was an amazing experience. Everything good about Detroit and its people comes out in that day.  I had said I wanted to return to the marathon some day, although actually running any of the races would prove challenging for me because they usually sell out long before I have the fall hockey schedule to know whether there are tournaments that weekend.  This year, however, I was excited to have a chance to see my friend Carrie complete her first marathon at the Detroit race.  You may remember Carrie from the post I did last year.  She’s been quite busy this year, obviously, and I hope that she’ll have a chance to write about it for me eventually…after she’s recuperated. 😉

Because my schedule was so hectic yesterday, I almost needed a degree in logistics to make it downtown in time to see Carrie cross the finish line.  But I did it!  Below are just a few pictures to give you a small glimpse into the event.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning for a race.  It was cold, just like last year (low 40s to start!), but the sun came up and made for a gorgeous day.

 

 

I was happy to catch up with my friend Katie and her husband Jerry, who were there just to cheer on the runners.  What a great thing to do!   The sign Katie chose to bring has real meaning for her, which you can read about at her blog.  She and Jerry were fantastic cheerleaders!  And they were cute as heck. 😉

 

 

I saw so many neat signs, I wanted to get a picture of them all, but I didn’t have time to stop because I was running late getting to the finish line in time to see Carrie cross. (Can I just say that whoever decided to have a marathon and a home Lions game on the same day is an idiot!?).  But I loved this one so much, I had to stop and get a shot.

 

 

So true! 😀

 

I did get to see Carrie cross the finish line, and I even got pictures of her.  I was so excited for her, and so happy.  When it was over, I got lots of pictures of her with her family and friends who’d come to cheer her on, and then one of them got a shot of us as well.  At the time, Carrie had just pulled out her phone and she was laughing over the couple dozen text messages she’d just discovered from people wanting to know how she did!

 

 

The last shot I have is the one that moved me the most.  I watched a woman running up the street, her bib showing her to be a marathoner, and then I saw two young children run up to her (which meant they had ducked through the big metal barricades that surrounded the race course!).  The children, a boy and a girl if I remember right, fell into step with the woman as she neared the finish.  They were obviously her children, and seeing them support their mom in that way made me choke up.  I cheered the mom and children as they went by, calling out, “Way to go, Mom! You did it!”  I couldn’t help but turn to watch them as they passed, and then, as I watched, the mom reached out and grabbed a hand of each child, and they ran to the finish line together.

 

 

It was such a poignant scene that, even though I don’t know them at all, I simply couldn’t resist taking a picture.  This was the only shot I could get before they ran out of my view, but even looking at it now makes me teary.  What a beautiful moment for that mom and her children.  To me, that’s what running is all about.

Thanks for reading!