Marine Corps Cheerathon
Madeleine and I just got home from cheering on our friends, Rachel, Jesse, and Casey, who ran the Marine Corps Marathon today.
Madeleine and I had the pleasure of tagging along with other friends and relations in a mini-marathon of our own, walking up and down escalators at five different metro stations, and walking from Rosslyn, through Georgetown, down Connecticut Avenue (around the White House), past the Washington Monument, and then down to some hair-pin turn past the U.S. Mint. Then we marched back up the hill to the Smithsonian metro stop, caught one of the rare trains back to Rosslyn and walked down to the Iwo Jima memorial for the finish. It was a lot of walking, but we were able to catch glimpses of our heroes four times along the route.
I've been to a few 5Ks and other races, but this was my first time spectating at a marathon, and it was an interesting experience. I didn't know, for example, that so many people write their names on their shirts so people can shout out personalized encouragement. That was nice. I also learned that it's possible to run 26.2 miles dressed head-to-toe in a Kermit the Frog costume. And there was also a cautionary tale for guys: Wear those little bandaids -- it ain't pretty when you don't.
Posted October 31, 2004 5:31 PM