Cheryl Places Third Overall At The Legendary Little Rock Marathon.

 What a great day!   The rain held off.  The storms never showed up.  And the clouds hid the sun for most of the day.   Aside from the incredibly warm temps ( 70+ degrees)  the variables discussed in the last post turned out to work on our favor.  As a Result:  Cheryl placed third OVERALL!  That means she was the Third female to cross the finish line for the Marathon. 

Third Place OVERALL Female!

This is a first for Cheryl.   A Podium slot at a FULL Marathon!   I can't help but think Mike helped a bit, as they both decided to run the race together and he helped push her along at several crucial points along the way.  It helps having a partner that helps motivate you.  

A picture is worth 1000 words.  So a moving pic should be worth even more!  And who would not want to take a break from reading for a bit.   So...  I decided to let the Animations do most of the talking.

Mile 2 -ish...

Mile 7?   We think....

Mile 9.

Mile 14

Mile 26 or so....Just before the Finish!

It is unfortunate that I deleted Mile 20.  Pam and I ran a LONG way to get ahead of the runners so we could cheer them on and I could get that shot.   But by now, you get the idea.  Lots and LOTS of running.  

Pam and I were able to get ahead of the Dynamic Duo just before they passed by each time.  In all,  According to Pam's watch,  We might have run around 10 miles ourselves!  ( from the pain in my Hamstring,  I believe it!)  It also gave us a chance to experience first hand the heat that the Marathoner's had to run in.  It was Brutal! 

But there were Perks being Crowd Support today.  Free Beer and Shots!  I had nothing to eat or drink since this morning, so I was more than happy to "hydrate" at a local brew station.   

As we neared the 20 miles mark,  the brews became more prevalent.   They even offered shots of Whiskey and Jägermeister.   I can't imagine a runner who would not want to stop for a sample of all of these beverages!

By the time we arrives at Mile 20,  Cheryl had overtaken the second place female and had  a thin lead.   I figured the woman they had overtaken would sprint at the end and snipe the second place from Cheryl, if Cheryl had not made the distance between them huge and demoralizing.   But that  is just what Georgia did!  Sneaking up from behind to sprint ahead,  in the last .2 miles of the race!   She bested Cheryl by a Mere 10 seconds!

Cheryl said that second place was up for grabs as first place female BURIED the competition.  ( See the pic above.) But second place was being contested by several other females of equal caliber.   She might have missed out on second, but she managed to hold on to third and was swept away by the race directors and Press for an interview.

Mike, being the 25 finisher... and MALE, was asked to step aside.   I guess being the 22nd male finisher is not as important as the # 3 female.  ( Hey!  I don't make the rules, I just report them....)

But after the festivities,   we all went out for some food to celebrate.   Mike has been swearing off meat for several months now for training purposes  and wanted to celebrate with a Burger of notable size.   I think he earned it.  

And then finally,  we hung out on the deck, swapping stories and sampling the beer we have been avoiding for the last several days.   The runners both feel,  given the conditions and circumstances,  that things turned out pretty well.   I would agree.   I don't know what the trophy for third place Overall Female Finisher is, but last time,  Cheryl got a nice trophy for her age group award.   I should also mention that Mike was First in his age group.. ( He's kind of old.....)   So we will probably be getting a nice personalized trophy as well.   I'm sure we will find out.

Much more happened that will probably not make it to the blog but I wanted to post this before I retire for the evening.   I doubt I will have time to blog about much tomorrow, as we will be leaving bright and early for Iowa... Where a Snow Storm is brewing!  Nothing like turning back into a pumpkin while a snow storm hits your home state.    But the Marathoners have now successfully completed the Marathon.   They are already talking about the next one and are showing 'Tude to anyone who has not run a Marathon.   Both runners will receive awards for their efforts, but really,  after looking at this medal...  You would think that just showing off the finisher's Medal would be reward enough. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We certainly did!  And thanks for stopping in.