LA Marathon

Today was the LA Marathon and I was only a spectator. My husband ran this, his dream marathon, for the first time, along with almost 30,000 other runners. It was the first time I've been to a race to support him and not run the race myself. In SFO during the summer, I ran the half while he ran the full and was able to make it to the finish line to take pictures and cheer him on.

This race, I abstained from running altogether (there was no half distance anyway). I dropped him off at the predawn starting line at Dodgers Stadium. Then I went to Starbucks for some breakfast to pass the time until the race began.

I first planted myself around the 5 mile marker, at the bottom of a hill in Echo Park and was fortunate enough to get to see the front runners and elite runners for the first time ever. The most amazing were the wheelchair racers. The first 2 racers were accompanied by the LAPD and whipped by me at 40+ miles an hour. I didn't get any pictures because I couldn't even figure out what it was until the convoy passed me.

The elite women started the race 18 minutes before the men and there was a pack of 4 out ahead. I could tell that they were getting close by the sound of the helicopters overhead. The same was true for the men's pack. And they were running FAST! I am very surprised that a woman won the overall race; the men were really moving.

I stopped at multiple spots along the course, miles 5, 13, 16, and 22. I tried my hardest to make it to the finish line, but the traffic and parking was impossible and I ran down but couldn't get through the closed streets to see my husband finish. I saw all kinds at the marathon, a man in a tutu with his entire body painted green, batman, a guy in a Mexican wrestling mask and a pair of running tights, and superwoman. At mile 13, one of the wheelchair racers named Richard was struggling, he came to a painful stop in front of me. Other racers stopped to give him encouraging words, pats on the back, and I cheered him on until he dug deep and was able to move on. I don't know if he finished the race, but it was a very powerful moment to see him push on.

Miles logged: 0.0