Marathon News

The Husband is home safe & mostly sound. Physically anyway. LOL ;) A few blisters, but intact. It took him 6 hours & 20 minutes. The weather was sunny but windy with strong gusts (up to 40 mph, I think), especially out on Haines Point. According to the chip on his shoe he ran 12 minute miles for the first 13 and then 15 minutes a mile for the last half. He said he walked a while, but began trotting again once he realized he would beat the bridge cut off time. Because of traffic, the 14th street bridge would reopen at 1:45 no matter how many runners were left on the course. He made it across before then though & he was happy 'cuz that was his primary goal (other than finishing in the first place).

The kids and I waited in the stands near the Netherlands carillon & the Iwo Jima memorial. I think we picked the barf spot, though. No less than four people threw up over the fence across the road. The most popular women's costume? Wings. Man's costume? Superman. Funniest costume? An older man dressed as a bee complete with wings and antennae. Or the elderly Asian man completely dressed in pink, kinda like the pink Power Ranger, only with lotsa whiskers. Quite a large number of men & women & one preteen boy running to honor lost loved ones or unit members KIA in Iraq or Afghanistan. One guy ran with a huge POW/MIA flag.

Two wheelchairs being pushed by runners. One dad ran with his three sons in a triplet stroller & wearing a giant backpack. One guy with his entire left leg a prosthesis ran the 10k (6 miles). Lotsa wheelies (chair racers): several older, a couple of women. The wheelies need to figure out a good place to put a sign with their name on it, so the fans can cheer better. Runners often put their names on the front of their shirts so bystanders can cheer for them by name. I like to cheer for the wheelies especially, and names would make it easier.

There was quite a lot of diversity out there (more so in the 10k). The youngest marathoners were 14- one boy & one girl. The oldest was over 80 & finished just behind Husband. The 10k had more range in weights and body types. Quite a few middle school (grades 6-8, ages 12-14) and younger kids on their own or running for the school track team ran the 10k. Older folks, folks who walked the 10k. Super thin, quite heavy. People who looked agonized every step they took. People who looked like they were out for a casual Sunday stroll. One guy skipped rope the whole 10k. Another juggled. Quite a few women cried the entire last quarter mile (right in front of us).

Husband says we're all doing the short course (the 10k) next October. Including the kids. HAHAHAHA. He's funny.

Costume Party news tomorrow.