Proof

Here are some pictures my teammates have posted on Facebook. Besides the shirt and medal I got for finishing, these are proof of my accomplishment. :)

Van 2, getting ready to leave.

The three girls of van 2. Rochelle switched last minute so that I could be with a girl I know--thanks Rochelle! And of course Jennie Lynn (sp?) was a ton of fun even though I didn't know her before.

Our team started at 8am, and being runner 12, I didn't get to run until 7:30pm! I was so glad to finally get started! Participants are required to wear a reflective vest, "butt light", and head light (or hold a flashlight) any time they are out of the van between 5:30pm and 7:30am.

Finishing my first leg. 7.2 miles-only the last mile was totally dark.

Our van's first set of legs we were very energetic. Then we had our rest time during which we didn't really sleep. Starting back up at 1am meant that we were cold and a little less energetic. Plus, only one runner got to run before the race was put on hold due to the tragic accident that took an 18 year old boy's life. He was crossing the road to give a teammate water when he was struck by a car.

I got to run a second leg of 6.3 miles at about 10:45am on Saturday. The decrease in excitement mentioned above means no pictures of my second leg. Plus, although my team was waiting for me at the exchange point, the only one that saw me come in was the runner I passed the baton (slap bracelet) onto.

Around 2:45pm (I think) I ran the final 3 miles or so of the race. The entire team (yellow shirts) ran the last 50 yards or so with me over the finish line. Here we are celebrating!

The whole team!

Aika disappeared for this one...

I'm so glad I did this and would love to do it again someday. The running at night thing may or may not prevent me from actually doing it again, but if I had enough friends wanting to do it, I think I'd go again and just continue to be extra cautious at night.