Pat's run Phoenix - a MUST for anyone living in AZ

I found this picture on the azcentral homepage

 Pat's run has been going on for many years now. Why I have never done it before? I have no clue. Pat's run was on the weekend after the Boston bombing, and everyone was wondering what the heck to do...run or not run a race that attracts close to 30.000 people. The Pat Tillman foundation and the Phoenix police department (and the many more departments that are probably super secret and I don't know what exactly they are called) and the volunteers did an amazing job to make this a safe and fun event where NO sign of fear was in the air - they definitely made the right decision. I had the feeling that at this race, so close after the attack, runners stuck together even more then usual. It was a pretty special feeling to be part of the: Don't mess with us feel in the runners faces.

I had heard before that with that many people parking was just out of control - we had absolutely NO problem parking.
I heard the potty line would be HUGE - they had so many potties, there was barely a wait.

This race is phenomenal, and it gives you goosebumps to hear the story of Pat Tillman, his accomplishments as an athlete and his sacrifices for this country. There were so many soldiers on the start line, team RWB, football players, ASU students and...a lot of fast runners.

The course is 4.2 miles with Curry Hill as a little leg-and-lung burner in between. I went out by feel, and just enjoyed the many spectators and runners. It was like running in Germany :-) I went through mile one in 5:45, which I thought I would probably regret later. Up curry hill, down curry hill, I just tried to stay relaxed and focus on breathing. At mile 3 I had the chance to see my competition at a U turn type corner...I took a split and 2nd and 3rd were about 15 sec behind me.

I have to be honest, I felt a little bit like throwing up, but when you have so many people cheering for you, you just have to suck it up and fight for that win. I tried to speed up, not look at my watch and just put my head down and go. Entering the last 100 m into the ASU stadium was crazy. I had never been in there (or in any football stadium). It gave me goosebumps again :-)

We finished at the 42 yard line (his number was 42, therefore the 4.2 mile run) and my time was 24:24 (mhhh, so what does that mean that I ran the same numbers as his jersey number, the race distance and the yard line where we finished, just in opposite order???) I think it is a good sign :-)

This race showed me, even though on a small scale compared to life, that if you want something bad enough - you can have it. At mile 3 I decided that loosing is not an option. I am going to take the W today. I will definitely be back next year. The race and the venue is so crazy it will keep me motivated all year long. And the entry fee is for  a good cause!!!

Time: 24:24
Distance: 4.2 miles
Avg pace: 5:49
Place: 1st overall female