Leading Ladies Marathon....for Michael

This weekend I flew to South Dakota for marathon #30 of my 52. I was eagerly anticipating this marathon, as it continues in a long line of firsts. Each and every week that I complete another marathon, I have achieved another consecutive week of marathon running. 30 is a huge feat and each week gives me another portion of this journey to focus on, another child to focus on.
This weekend was another first with the race I ran. The Leading Ladies Marathon is an all woman's race, something I've never done before and I was excited about the fact that it was exactly that. The Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco is mostly women, but men are allowed to enter. This race was strictly women. You could not enter or run unless you had two X chromosomes, sorry boys! (And may I say, the smart guys volunteered for the race! They got to work an aid station and see all the runner chicks all day long!)

It took me 3 flights to get into Rapid City, SD and as I went to pick up my rental car. I had already paid for an economy car through the website Hotwire and when the girl at the counter asked me if a Mustang would be ok I thought I heard her wrong! I'd never driven a Mustang before! I couldn't get over my luck! I walked out to get my car and even better, it was a convertible!!

What a sweet ride! And yes I rode with the top down!

I decided to go see Mount Rushmore before I picked up my race packet as it was only a 30 minute drive from the airport and I knew I wouldn't have another chance to go. It was beautiful! I'm so glad I took the time to go!

 I had to rush to make it to get my packet because  of traffic, or should I say bikes. At the airport I had noticed a huge banner that said "Welcome Bikers." I didn't think much of it at the moment, but figured it out pretty quickly. Unbeknownst to me, the biggest motorcycle rally in the country was going on this week in Sturgis, only about 20 miles from where my race was at! With huge headliner rock concerts, races, and other events, it draws riders from all over the country. This year was the 70th anniversary of the Sturgis Rally and I've never in my life seen so many bikes! It was insane!

 I wish I got a better picture of the bikes, but I took this while driving!

I made it to the packet pickup about 25 minutes after it was scheduled to close. Thankfully they were still in the process of tearing everything down, and I was able to get my bib, but talk about stress! 

As this race was the most expensive airfare of any marathon I've run to date, I made the decision that I was going to just sleep in my rental car. I just couldn't choke down another $100 for a hotel room. I've done it before and while it's never comfortable, it works. There was an Anytime Fitness gym nearby that I could use to take a shower and such so I figured I was good to go. But then I hadn't planned on getting a Mustang either. I didn't think a thing about sleeping when I got the car, but as I was starting to get things in order for the evening I began to re-think my sports car. If you've never driven a Mustang, let me tell you, the back seat is good for luggage and not much else.

I ate dinner and got everything in order for the morning, including after the race because I knew I'd be pressed on time for getting back to the airport. I decided to get totally ready for the race and just sleep in my race gear because I had to be up at 3:30. The race provided a shuttle to the start line, and with it being a 40+ minute ride, we had to be on the shuttle by 4am. So after all my preparations, including putting my bib on and shoes it was time to find a place to park. I was beginning to wonder if I'd picked the wrong night to sleep in my car because of the rally. I knew it was going to be noisy anywhere near the main streets, so I found a residential area with new construction and parked a little way from the homes and between 2 street lamps so it wouldn't be as bright. Then it was time to try and sleep. Sleeping in the front seat wasn't an option, as the seat couldn't even fully recline because of the back seat.

Next was my attempt to figure a way to squeeze my 5'10" frame into the "back seat."  Not only was the space entirely too tight, the seats are designed with a spacer in between that's the shape of a mound. I had no choice but to have to just lay on it, which as you can imagine was really not comfortable.  This idea was looking less and less good. Thankfully I was really tired so that helped, but I woke up every 30 minutes to an hour to reposition. I slept through most the bikes, and only got woken up once to some boyfriend/girlfriend quarrel. It was not a pretty sight when I got up. My legs were so cramped from having to sleep in the car! Lesson learned, as fun as the Mustang was to drive, if you know you have to sleep in it, next time say no!

 Sleeping quarters - at least I had a blanket and neck pillow!

I was up by 3:30 and made the short drive over to where the shuttles were picking us up. Even with it being so early in the morning, everyone was chatting away and the bus was filled with conversation. I sat and just listed to the buzz for a moment. This was so obviously a woman's event! As we had a good 40 minutes drive up to the start I had a chance to talk with several women and the ride went quickly. The race was said to start at over 7,000 feet up and I could really feel it in my ears on the way up. We arrived in Lead, SD and headed out of the buses to use the port-o-potties. I was wearing a jacket, but with it being around 45 degrees it was a huge system shock after being on a warm bus! Thankfully they left the buses running for us so after using the port-o-potty I got back on the bus to stay warm until the 6am start.

Ladies ready to rock!

With fellow maniacs Carol and Annette at the start

The race website labeled it as the fastest course in South Dakota and all downhill. It was just that, beautiful, peaceful, majestic views and almost entirely downhill! We took off, had a short uphill, followed by a wonderful long downhill. We ran along huge moss draped spruce trees, some marshy grass areas and story book log cabins nestled along the road. 

We passed amazing log cabin homes and other unique cottages. There were beautiful ponds and a creek running along us almost the entire way. The wildflowers grew in abundance and it was quite easy to get lost in the beauty around us. I once again paid no attention to my watch, but tried to capture everything around me, it was magnificent!  My pictures don't begin to do it justice!

Before I knew it I had come to mile 13.  With it being a small marathon, runners were well spaced from one another and I really enjoyed every mile.  The sun was starting to come out and I finally decided to peel my jacket off as the temps had become more comfortable, the tips of my fingers no longer frozen. 

The movie Dances with Wolves was filmed in this area, and the cliffs were massive, the rocks rugged and beautiful. I haven't seen the movie in years, but it made me want to rent it again when I got home. The canyon walls we passed are said to be older than the Grand Canyon itself and it was a breathtaking to view the entire run. I stopped and took a ton of pictures on the course. I wanted to savor all of it.

The last few miles, my energy stores fading, I struggled to keep the same pace. It was getting warm and by the time I crossed the finish line I was glad to be finished, and even happier when I saw that the time clock said 4:29! It was a beautiful and fast (for me) run! I would highly recommend it to all women marathoners (or half marathoners - they also had a half) and with a 7 hour course limit it's a race everyone can enjoy!

 Finish line

 Tired ladies? Have a seat!

This race was a great opportunity to share with other women and mothers about my 52Beginnings! I was running for Michael, who is 5 and orphaned in an area known as Lover's Twist, South Africa. As women we tend to have a nurturing demeanor toward all children, our own or not.  Running these marathons has been very emotional for me, as I'm running for orphaned children.

 This is the reality they face. This is Lover's Twist.

A common home

A lot of people ask me why I chose to run for 25:40. It's very simple. These children need hope. These children need to be fed, to be housed, to be schooled, to be loved. Their needs are the same as any child. All I had to do is look at my 3 children and I knew this is what I needed to do. I couldn't imagine if my children were left orphaned and in such dire conditions as these children face. How could I not want to change their lives?  This journey has been a chance to use something (running) that has had such an immensely positive effect in my life, to change others lives in a positive way. It has been the single most difficult thing I have ever done, and yet I know it's not as difficult as what these kids have to live through. Losing a parent to AIDS, living off one meal a day or less, not knowing if you have a safe place to stay - those pains I know nothing of. The pain of marathon running will never come close. But the chance to bring healing and hope, change and new beginnings is possible! Please help me in this, help these children! Your donation is life giving to these kids! 

My rose - every finisher got one with their medal

After I finished I had just enough time to shower and get back to the airport to make my flights home. It was another crazy whirlwind of a weekend, but one that I will cherish for a long time to come. And I have my pink medal, another first!

"I was just thinking that of all the trails in this life there is one that matters most. It is the trail of a true human being. I think you are on this trail and it is good to see." - Kicking Bird from Dances with Wolves