Divas Half Marathon (Ontario, CA) - 13.1 miles
Back in April, when we were at the Expo for the Rock 'n' Roll San Francisco race, one of the vendors was promoting the Divas Half Marathon series. His selling points: you get a tiara, a pink feather boa and your medal is given to you by a shirtless male model dressed as a fireman! Well, who am I to turn down a good time?! And this sounded like it could be the perfect last race for my year of running.
It was a cold weekend for Southern California. The morning of the race was only supposed to be about 35 degrees. But as we huddled up at the start line, I had a warm feeling inside. I couldn't believe this race was my last in my year-long challenge. And I was doing it with two of my favorite supporters, AJ and Anthony. My first of the year was with them, the dreaded New Year's Race when I had so much pain in my foot and hip. And here we were full circle. It was right around mile two that the tears started. I was so overwhelmed with emotions. Sadness. Pride. Happiness. Love. Awe. All of it hit me at once, and I let the tears roll down my face, feeling them mix with the sweat and the wind. It all felt worth it. I had earned every feeling. And when I turned the last corner and was greeted by those giving out accessories, I donned my tiara and boa with pride as I crossed that finish line. All of the volunteers congratulated me as I passed by, but they couldn't imagine what an accomplishment this truly was.
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