MARATHON MARK!

Check! Mark has checked off one of his long-term goals in life. Yesterday he ran the Georgia marathon, and it went well! He had a very good experience, enjoying the other runners and the fans and the race energy. The course went through several neighborhoods in Atlanta, which he said were absolutely beautiful (though very hilly for a marathon!!). He was inspired by the diverse crowd of runners -- all shapes, sizes, types. There was lots of entertainment set up throughout the course, mostly by people who were just setting up in front of their houses, but also some more organized, like the gospel choir that was singing on the front lawn of the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. They were able to witness the first ever double amputee finish a marathon -- both legs were braces. He talked to runners who had run 50+ marathons, including a woman who was on her 100th!! They learned at the end that the winner of the men's race was a man from Kenya who had planned to run the half marathon until the morning of the race, and spontaneously decided to run the full!

So, here is Mark with two of his friends who are also studying to be Chiropractors. If they already look tired, it's because they got up at 4:30 am in order to get downtown by 6, and be ready for the race at 7!



And, here's when they're done! Phew!



We decided that it was not a good idea for the girls and I to brave the some 100,000 people that would be crowding the race area, so we watched Mark's progress online. The chip on his shoe kept track of his progress and sent us regular email updates. We made a sign to congratulate him when he got home.



We're proud of him. Mark says it was a good experience with both physical and mental challenges that he liked, and he's definitely glad he did it.