Last weekend my brother Tom ran a marathon in Yuma. Susan and his kids were not able to make it for this race so my parents went to watch him and cheer him on. They texted the entire family and kept us updated during the race. It was raining that day which I thought would make the race harder. There were a lot of muddy farm fields to run through, but Tom said later that the rain felt nice. He started off at a good pace and with every text my parents sent they couldn't believe that Tom was smiling! Running, running, running, and smiling! :)
Tom said that around mile 18 things started to get really rough and he wanted to quit. His ankle and hip were giving out and he even told my mom when he was running by her on the side that his whole body was hurting and he wanted to stop. You have to know my brother to know that him saying he wanted to quit is a huge deal! He has done MANY races in the last decade including 4 other marathons, the Tour De Tucson several times, and a half iron man. For him to say that he is hurting and wanting to quit, you know he is HURTING. He kept going and started shedding layers of clothing that were drenched and handed it to my mom. Then my parents would get in the car, text the family again, drive to the next point they could stop at and wait for Tom to pass, checking on him, and cheering for him. They did this the entire race.
The last 3 miles were uphill and Tom's leg and hip were hurting so bad he was limping while he ran and had bleeding blisters on his feet. My mom went and ran with him for the last half mile, cheering him on and telling him he was almost there. She said it looked like he was going to cry when he looked up and saw the finish line up ahead.
Later on, Tom thanked the family for cheering him the whole way through text messages and he said he couldn't have finished the race without my parents there.
This really touched me, I was emotional with every update and felt so proud of my brother and so happy that my parents were there with him. Tom is such an inspiration...his entire body was killing him and he wanted so badly to just stop, but he didn't. He enjoys working out and doing competitive races (always competing against himself for a better time) and enjoys being healthy. But he has told me many times that he does this simply because he loves it. Isn't that cool?! All because he loves it.
I love my big brother and definitely look up to him :) Way to go on another amazing race Tom!
Running hard and smiling :)
Shedding layers around mile 20
Cheering in the rain!
He made it!
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