Beach to Beacon 10k

His 5th and my 4th attempt at this great race! I managed a Personal Best!!

B2B High School Mile

And there's a Viking in their midst this year! He sure made us proud!

Beach to Beacon 10k

My older son and l ran it, while my younger son was our 'official' photographer. They both did a great job! Here we are before the start...

This is such an incredible World-class event every year, but this year (the 19th edition) it was extra special. For the first time, an American (and native Mainer!) won it. Ben True is from North Yarmouth, and has run this race many times, coming as close as third place 2 years ago. He currently holds the record for the fastest North American 5k road race, and was definitely a home-town favorite for this race - everyone was hollering his name! This is what complete concentration and sheer determination look like:

But, there are so many more incredible stories; anyone who has run this race will tell you the same thing. Whether you're running or walking, you have a reason for being there - in memory of a loved one, supporting a family member or a friend, for your health, for fun, whatever that reason is - it's inspiring to all! Endurance events are not easy, and this course is particularly challenging. Nobody appreciates and understands that more than the founder of the event, Joan Benoit Samuelson, an amazing athlete in her own right. She spent the entire morning standing at the finish line greeting competitors as they completed the race. Not just the elites -ALL the competitors. She even shook my hand. I am so honored. She is my hero.

I took this photo on Friday evening as Ms. Samuelson congratulated the girls who had just raced in the inaugural Beach to Beacon High School Mile.

The people are what makes B2B so special. Whether they are cheering spectators with their noisy cow-bells, or kids giving out high-fives, or homeowners that had set up stereos in their yards blasting music to help us keep running, and in some cases dancing, (Like the older gentleman stepping-out to 'Black Betty' up a hill that I wasn't sure l could climb - we laughed and made it over the top!) or families that had set up sprinklers to spray us because it was so hot, (That cold water felt so good.) or holding up clever and sometimes hilarious signs, or volunteering at one of the many water stops, or a fellow competitor offering encouragement as it was needed. It is truly an event that everyone should experience! Plus, the finish line is seriously top-notch...

Everywhere you turn there are photographers, which is such a wonderful service that this race provides. Especially since they'll even take your cell phone and create an image for you like this one:

One of them caught me crossing the finish line (Thank you Jenny McCarthy!) and I was smiling...

B2B - here I come!

This is what happens you tell your friends that you're nervous about an upcoming 10k race...

They plan a 6.2 mile course through town, and best of all - run it with you! I have the BEST friends!! 

Beach to Beacon Day!

I might have to agree with my step-daughter's assessment, "That was the best race ever."

It was his fourth, my second, and her first time running one of the biggest races of the year! It was wicked hot & humid, but we all survived and had fun anyway. He placed in the top 1000 out of almost 7000 runners, and she placed 23rd in her age group. The spirit at this race is absolutely awesome, which is one reason why we like to run it. I could tell so many stories: laughing and racing as we biked to the park, visiting with all the excited runners at the start, hearing a great rendition of the National Anthem sung by a local girl, cheering our way across the start line, looking ahead and behind me at the crowd and feeling like I was enjoying a run with 6,000 friends, (6,602 to be exact - runners from 15 countries, 41 states and more than 265 Maine cities and towns) high-fiving spectators along the route, listening to a guy playing guitar and singing for us, dancing our way past speakers blasting music, laughing as we let kids spray us with hoses, soaking up encouraging words from spectators, tackling a hill to the beat of a man banging on a pan with a wooden spoon, enjoying one of the most beautiful courses, finishing an exhausting race with a great friend who pushed me a bit faster than I would otherwise have run, and thanking everyone along the way because the people are what makes B2B such a great event!