26.2 Miles

by Lindsay O., friend

At the starting line hearing the gun go off, I felt sick to my stomach but couldn’t stop from smiling. Jessica and I crossed the starting line and now there was no turning back. During the first few miles my feet were moving but my head was floating in the clouds. I soaked up the energy from the crowd. At mile seven we encountered some of our biggest fans – our family. Seeing them gave us a jolt of encouragement we needed to continue on. It wasn’t until mile ten that my head came out of the clouds and I returned to the reality of the situation…I still had over 16 miles to go …

I remember feeling numb as I made the final turn and stared the finish line in the face. Off in the grandstands Jessica and I spotted our family members cheering and sharing in the excitement of the moment. In one step we crossed the finish line. I had just completed my first marathon in 4 hours 5 minutes.