Just like Sister Sledge, I had all my sisters with me on this
marathon! Reid and Lane tagged along as devoted husbands. Grandma's
Marathon was Laura's first marathon and the second for Patti and me. We
decided to run Grandma's based on a book that rates marathons. According
to the book, Grandma's is notorious for being relatively flat and for having
awesome crowd support.
Although I encountered some difficulties during training
including a foot problem that hindered my runs late in the schedule, Laura ran
the marathon like a real trooper. I was the one hitting the wall and
wanting to walk towards the end! Still, she and I ran together the whole
way and we certainly did have fun, which was the main goal. Despite any
trials that came our way, Laura, Patti and I
all finished the race.
We ran fairly slowly,
carried small cameras in our running packs and stopped to take pictures along the
way.
Part of what made this race so special was sharing it with my
sisters.
Some of my favorite memories include:
The shirt and cake Laura's co-workers made her prior to
the trip,
Watching the otters at the aquarium in
Duluth,
Nagging Reid about his driving,
Running along Lake Superior,
Eating at Grandma's Saloon and Grill, the namesake of the
marathon,
Listening to the motivational speakers, particularly
Lorraine Moller,
The entertainers, which included bands,
dancers, tumblers, cheering dogs,
The cheering spectators who lined the
streets the whole way,
The wonderful water stops and those
blissful sponges soaked in ice water,
Seeing the finish line come into view,
Crossing the finish line with Laura,
Having the finisher's medal placed around
my neck,
Watching Patti finish,
Eating pizza for lunch and enjoying
champagne after dinner,