D'boyz Conquer D'Wall Again

May 19th, 2007 - after a 5 hour journey that should have taken three the night before, and a meal of now cold pasta, we were back on The Wall for another year. It was hard to sit and watch all the runners prepare for the challenge as I very much wanted to be amongst them ... but a painful shin splint has me grounded. So, I attended as an avid support of D'boyz, Kat and Angus.

It was a gorgeous day and after a bit of warm up and stretching they were off...

Sarah, Marissa and I cheered on the masses under the blistering sun and watched in amazement as the first full marathoner flew down the stairs - it was incredible. Gravity was very much in his favor, not to mention training. He finished in just over 3 and a half hours which is an incredible speed on The Wall.

Mike and Andre were both happy with their finishing time, but it was the company of good friends was the best part of the memory.

VAN MARATHON

It has been some time since I last wrote and so much has occurred. Between packing up life in Victoria, heading to Vancouver to run the marathon, flying to China, starting to get settled and flying between Hangzhou and Beijing life has kept me hopping.

The Vancouver Marathon was a challenge for a number of reasons - though I had aimed to try for Boston Marathon qualifying time there were some obstacles in training in the last few weeks and so this became unobtainable. I was doing well running at under 4hrs which was still good, but by the time I reached the 30k marker the drive to push was dissipating.

It was then that I met Charlotte from Seattle. She was struggling with an injury and was weary of finishing so we made a pact to get her to the end. It was so very worth the journey. Yes, it could have been done faster - but the memory would not be as rich as it now is. And, in the end, we got the t-shirt - haha. I wish I had better pictures to share, but these are the best I can do ...

SO PERFECT

Given by Marty and Shirley Jay - Thank you

Do what makes you happy.
Look upon what give you joy.
Listen to what lifts your spirit.
Speak to those who warm your heart.
Surround yourself with sights and sounds and people
who make you smile!