St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon Report
Ladies, this is an awesome event and I can't wait to do it again. If you've never run a marathon or half and want to, this is the one to do first. The course is easy -- I don't know how they managed to have more downhills than up, but they did -- and the crowd support is fantastic. There were people lining the streets all they way from the first mile to the 13th mile. There were families and little kids and grandparents and dogs and bands and even a belly dancer at mile 11. Of course, there was an Elvis impersonator too.
There were also people on the course holding up signs with pictures of children treated at the hospital, either in memory of or in honor of. There were times when it was pretty emotional, and at one point we almost broke down and cried, but managed to pull it together because we decided we could either cry or run, and it was more important to run.
The weather was great -- about 29 or 30 degrees when we started, partly cloudy skies and only a slight breeze. Our time was 2:11:04, which was just a few minutes slower than we had hoped, but my running partner had been sick for several days last week and just wasn't feeling 100%. I admire her tremendously for sticking it out and finishing when she felt so bad. She's one tough lady.
All in all, it was a great experience and I plan to be there again next year. My next goal is the Mardi Gras Half Marathon February 25 in New Orleans. We have friends in NO that we haven't seen in a very long time, and my family is only a couple of hours away, so it will be a good opportunity to catch up with friends, run a little, and see the family.
Thanks for your support, TE!
KB
