So, Ryan ran a marathon yesterday. The Chicago Marathon. One of the top five marathons in the world (Berlin, Boston, London, Chicago & New York City). My guy.
Ry has some cool stories and a neat first-hand perspective that he plans to write out and share on here later this week, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to share some photos from my perspective with y’all.
Goodness, it was a beautiful (albeit hot) day for a race!
These are some of the very first runners at about mile 1.6 (see their time for being at mile 1.6??)
I hadn’t planned to do this, but right before Ryan passed us at mile 1.6 I decided just to jump in with him for the loop that he was about to enter.
You guys, it was so cool. I really hadn’t planned to run in the race at all because it was Ryan’s race, but running early in the morning through the streets of downtown Chicago with screaming fans and tall, tall buildings all around us what just like nothing else. I’m so glad I did it – even if it was only for a mile and half. It was fun to be with Ryan early in the race and experience some of the early and fresh excitement of the race.
When I jumped out to rejoin Tye & Jan (our friends we’re visiting while we’re here) we walked back past the 1.6 mile mark and were amazed at how suddenly empty it was and how quickly all the workers were working to get things back to normal.
This is Tye and Jan (they’re siblings and we adore them). We went to high school and college with them and it’s been fun to hang out with them (and Tye’s fiance who was at church during the morning) while we’re here. Also, can we talk about their cool bikes?
The next couple of photos are at the finish line when the first runners crossed the line. You’re seeing Moses Mossop, who finished first with a time of 2:05:37 (yes, we’re talking a 4-something mile pace for TWENTY-SIX POINT TWO MILES), beating Sammy Wanijiru’s previous course record from 2009 of 2:05:41 (five seconds!). When you beat the course record you get an additional $50,000 prize money – most profitable five seconds of his life probably!
It was so cool to be a part of the excitement in the crowd at the finish line. That man was fast! Fast enough for thousands of people to come out early on a Sunday morning to watch him run and break records. So emotional and neat!
After we watched the first guys finish, we hopped on our bikes and headed to the halfway point to see Ryan completing the first half of the race (his personal best for 13.1!). Tye jumped in and ran with him for about seven miles until the 20-mile mark to talk him through some heat-related cramping (it was in the high seventies by now) and just to be a good encouragement to him.
We caught up with the guys at mile 17 (after a Starbucks break for Jan & me) to hand off a big bag of ice to help out. I think seeing him at that point was cool for me because I could see that quitting wasn’t even on his radar – he was going to do this, cramping or not.
After meeting the guys at mile 20, Ry left Tye to finish the race by himself. We met him again at mile 25.2 (1 mile to go) and I walked with him for about a minute and we just had a neat moment to relish together that Ryan was about to compete a marathon – kinda like that moment before you push a baby out and you look at each other and know that something huge is about to happen. It was neat to soak that in together.
Then he left me because he wanted to run that last stretch, so Tye, Jan & I jumped on our bikes and booked it to the finish line. We almost made it, but just as we were crossing over the bridge to the finish we got the auto-text-update that he’d finished!
What a cool moment. Even though we weren’t with him and didn’t see him cross, we all got to know when it happened and kind of celebrated for him where we were.
Then we caught up with him at the family reunion area and celebrated and rested (I was tired too – I’d biked all over that city that day!) and just soaked it all in.
And that, my friends, is what we did yesterday morning. And how my hero husband owned chicago to the tune of 26.2 miles.
You have me in tears. Such an amazing experience, and you’re obviously so proud of your man. Awesome job, Ryan! I seriously don’t know how I’m going to make it through the race (emotionally) in December. Can’t wait! xo
I know – I feel like watching this race empowered me to run a half athletically, but the emotions of it made me realize how tough a time I might actually have – especially going through the hospital campus!
I live in Chicago & Marathon Sunday is always so exciting! You had a beautiful day for it – congrats to your hubby! Enjoy your stay in this beautiful city.
That’s some tall cotton :) Congratulations to Ryan!
totally had to look up “tall cotton” – that’s a new one to me! :)
Thanks for the congrats!
Congrats’s to you both! Completing a Marathon is such an overwhelming accomplishment, rivaled only by the incredible support and dedication of the family that get you across the line. Prayed for you both Sunday morning, glad to hear it went so well!
Aw- thanks Eric! So nice to hear from you on here! I’m sure you get a kick out of your old non-runner friends messing around in your area of expertise :)
Amazing! Congratulations to him! Do you have a place of honour for the medal?
way to go ryan! :D you have one amazing hubs, rae.
oh, and GREAT photos as always. i’m assuming you shoot fully in Manual?
Thanks! Yeah, I shoot 99%+ of the time on the P setting. It was fun to have a totally new setting to shoot!
Can we talk about Moses’s left hamstrings in the third picture? Wow! Ryan is amazing! Mom
Yayayayayayay!!!!!
Oh man, I am crying happy tears
Um apparently I’m crying happy tears and pressing send too early. Anyways, So excited that Ryan got to do this–amazing what our bodies can do with so much hard work and discipline. And loved hearing your perspective, as I’ve definitely learned in the past few months that when you’re married and have kids while you’re training, it totally takes BOTH people being in 100%! Loved reading, excited to hear Ryan’s take…and girl, we’re next!! This made my heart beat a little faster in anticipation :)
I know – I’m excited to read Ry’s take too! Glad you enjoyed – and thanks for the congrats! Definitely a family effort to train for a race.
aw, congrats ryan!
what an accomplishment!
i just can’t imagine.
i love me a great half marathon… but a FULL!?!?!
that’s crazy dedication.
kudos to you too, raechel!
it’s a lot of time training for a full and you get props for being there for him in more ways than one.
can’t wait to hear all about his perspective.
and yup… get ready for your half!!
it’s coming soon!
the atmosphere of the race is SO amazing.
and yup, my first half… i bawled like a baby after i crossed the finish line
such a proud moment… only to be trumped by the birth of my babies (which was WAY harder! and dang it… half marathons are HARD work!! ha ha ha!)
anyhow… congrats again ry!
HOW AWESOME!!! Loved the pictures and your story! Thanks for sharing! I can only imagine what you guys felt that day! Congrats to both of you!!!