On the morning of the 4th, my dad took me into Evergreen, over 8,000 ft elevation...much higher than what my lungs are used to, but I was ready. I mean, really, I had just completed a marathon 2 weeks prior, right? He dropped me off at the start site, which differed from the finish area, then went down to the finish to meet the rest of the crew. I signed up, put on my number, found a kind lady with a stroller to carry my shirt, and walked to the start line. It was a big race, one of the biggest on the 4th in the state of Colorado, apparently. There were over 600 runners/walkers.
I began unfurling Old Glory and a man approached me who was volunteering that day. He smiled as he said, "I'm so happy to see that you are carrying the flag! Every year for this race it has been my tradition to carry the flag, but this year I had decided to volunteer, so thanks!" He gave me some pointers about the course and said, "See you at the finish!" There were quite a few who asked me, "Are you going to carry that the whole way?" "Yes, I am." I would respond. (thinking to myself, if only they realized I had just carried it 26 miles 2 weeks ago) One little red-haired boy, in particular, asked me that same question as he looked up at me. I answered him and he said, "wow!" thought about it for a couple of seconds, then went on his way. He was so cute!
The race director began explaining the course to all the runners. He said don't be fooled by the downhill first mile. There is a couple of nasty hills before the final descent to the finish. "Ok", I thought, "I can do this. The gun went off and so were we. Downhill was right! We were in the Rocky Mountains...what else would there be? Along the course, there was a man playing bagpipes, men playing guitars, a whole choir singing patriotic songs, and quite a few spectators along the way, many holding flags and banners. The scenery was incredibly gorgeous! What do you expect from the Rockies? I want to thank the photographer, Cheryl Newhall, for donating the photos taken at the race. (Who, by the way, also served, and was happy to see the flag flying!) Nearing the end, I could hear the announcer and music playing. By this time, I was gasping for air...I counted 3 big hills, not 2...but I did it! (there is video of the finish)
Many people thanked me for carrying the flag, and as always I respond by saying I am honored to do so. The finisher's area was quite the party. There was food, booths, live music, a balloon animal maker, and of course, a jump castle. A couple came up to me to tell me they really liked my shirt, especially the back, which reads, "One nation under God". They explained to me that just a week ago or so, NBC was broadcasting the Masters golf tournament. They had put together this beautiful montage of photos from around the nation which were shown in a slide show format to the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. That sounds very nice, except they purposely left out the words, "one nation under God". Well, that made a few people mad, as it should, and they apologized the next day. See what we can do if we stand up? My hope with every race I do, is to find people who "stand up"; people who are thankful to live here in the US and who are willing to fight to keep it the way it should be. I have hope. It seems when I find these people, these patriots, it's a unanimous feeling of gratitude. Whatever it is that makes these people cheer, clap, chant, comment, or salute as the flag passes them, seems to affect everyone positively in similar ways. Imagine... One nation united under God...I can. |
| "The crew" |
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