Red White and BOOM! Half Marathon.... 4th of July... And Weird Wellman.

5 AM Departure.

Finally home after a long day of running, traveling, and general weariness.  All in all,   a pretty good day.   After all,  it was 6 years ago THIS DAY... when we first stepped foot in Iowa as residents.   Funny how time flies....  But let's talk about the race!  Mostly because,   that is what I have the most pictures of.

Proper Fuel is Required THIS early.

An insanely early start this morning.    4 A.M.   Wake up... Out the door by 5.

Cheryl at the start.

We gathered our usual donuts and coffee to get the morning blood pumping and headed for the start line.

Falls

More Falls

Wonder what they do here?

Another Flour blooms in the morning.

The start was held in a slightly different location this year.  I was able to capture some pretty cool shots of the local culture  while we waited for the morning race officials to set up the start line.  The weather was cool and slightly breezy with a hint of clouds.  Almost perfect running weather!

The Sun rises....and so does Pillsbury's  Best Flour

Say goodbye to Cheryl..

As the time drew near,  I said goodbye to Cheryl and moved up ahead to see if I could capture a starting shot.   I did...accidentally.  Losing her in the crowd,  I began shooting random shots and happened to catch her next to one of the Kenyans.  ( Just a guess.   I'm not sure any Elites joined in on this race.) Not the best shot....but at least I have something.

Hidden Cheryl at the Start.

Red white and blue are today's colors!

Running over the bridge towards the finish.

Cheryl comes into View!

I crossed the bridge and waited for her to arrive.  The 5K people were finishing in the same location,  so they cluttered many of my shots.   But...it was still fun practicing for when Cheryl would eventually come into view.   Lots of people wore red, white, and blue attire while running.

Almost to the Finish. 

Finally,  Cheryl popped into view.   I had a feeling the time would be decent, since she was arriving ahead of my predicted finish time.   Here are the stats:

Final Time.  1:42:55   ( compare to last year's time:  1:45:53)
Age group Female  5th out of 145
Females.   50 out of 1174
Overall Place  257 out of 2261.  

Time to Eat!  Free FOOD!

We have a limited window....

Showing off the metal

Cheryl grabbed all the free food that was offered and gave it to me.   We then sat on the park lawn and I ate most of it...including the free hot dog.   I guess there was beer, but we did not wait around to find it.

Cheryl poses with the Twin Cities Skyline

We had to get back to Iowa and Cheryl wanted to shower before the return trip...  We crossed the  bridge and cheered people on as they continued to  run towards the finish.   Cheryl wanted to pose by the Twin Cities Skyline before leaving.   She was very happy with her time and performance and I believe that she may finally be back to where she was at her best last year.  Hopefully... She does as well.

Tractors everywhere!  Parking nowhere.

Wellman Iowa in the 4th of July!

So we have finally arrived back in Wellman.   I'm not sure how things are in your town...but small towns in Iowa get kind of weird during the 4th of July.    There are lots of golf carts buzzing around.  Odd parking jobs and tractors.   Lots and lots of tractors rumbling around main streets.   The pavilion is having its annual "chicken dinner"   which is almost laughable!   Allow me to describe:   Chicken patty,  ice cream scoop of instant mashed potatoes, green beans, dry dinner roll, and I think a piece of cherry pie.  Almost a bargain at $10 a plate!  ( That is a joke!   I have eaten TV dinners that were better for much less money!)

This..on a paper plate? for $10?

You would think with all of the Amish Bakers around here they could come up with a better menu and a better value.  In Moose Pass, Alaska for the Summer Solstice  festival they sold a half roasted chicken,   Fries or Real  Baked Potato, cob of CORN ,  and a really great piece of CORN bread....for $6 Bucks!  I know the first thing you think of when you mention Alaska is probably not CORN....  but IOWA?????   Comon!   Green beans from a can are not very exciting on the 4th of July.  Who throws these fund-raisers anyway?   You would think pulled pork and Corn on the Cob would be the OBVIOUS choice. I'll not make that mistake again.

So....now that we are home..and have to get up to actually work tomorrow.   I'll probably wait for the fireworks and post pictures of them later.   IF I can stay awake that long. ( I probably will, but Cheryl is sure to abandon me.)   Hope everyone has a great 4th and can enjoy the local fireworks.   Looks like it will be another pleasant evening again tonight.  I'm not sure why I find them so enchanting,  but perhaps my inner child still refuses to give up that magic.