OK, so a marathon is just slightly over 26 miles… .2 over. That’s about 40 seconds of running time. Once you pass the 26 mile marker, your thoughts, whatever they are be it defeat, PST, bathroom, pain, etc. they all turn to triumph as you run through the last .2 of the race. It might be a strategic thing race coordinators do, but it always seems that you can start to see the finish line right as you pass the 26 mile marker. So obviously, your smile comes out, you feel strong, fast, and confident. You listen to the crowds calling out for your strong finish. This .2 of the race, I thought this is why you are here, E. This is why. And this is why I was here. I looked around at the crowds that didn’t notice my fatigue, my pain, my struggle, or my slow time. They saw a runner, an accomplishment, a woman finishing.
One step at a time, I conquered almost every fear I had (save for the dark) and I was about to venture into another world. I was becoming a bigger person, a new person, an older person. I was not finishing as the same girl that started. Sure we had the same bib number, but I was leaving someone behind –me.
Credits:
Thank you all for bearing through this adventure and for supporting me the whole way. To everyone that contributed to my experience and my trip, I will never be able to thank you enough. I could not have done any of this without you. Thanks to mom and dad, evisibility (Danny, Cary, everyone that donated to the fund 
), Brent, Oz, Kristen, Mark (for showing me the race in the first place), <<music playing>> everyone else…. THank you all I love you. The fans, you are the reason I am here….. thank you.