Saved by the "16 and a bit"

So glad the marathon is done and over with!! It was a wonderful experience--but I'd rather not do it again. Here's a quick summary of the day...

7:50am: I was dropped off at the bus pick up point where about 20 tour buses waited for all the runners

9:30am: We finally arrive at the start location (which was of course out in the middle of no where)...Imagine 2000 runners waiting in lines for 20 portaloos,...stretching, warming up, eating bananas, etc

10:00am: Race kicks off with a pipe and drum band splitting the crowd of runners--totally brought a tear to my eye. The picture below is of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. We ran on the other side of the Loch.



12 noon: At this point I've ran 13 miles...really needed a toilet :)...thankfully by mile 15 a fellow runner informed me that there was a toilet stop around mile "16 and a bit". This gave me hope, and sure enough, just past mile 16 there was a lovely pub that let desperate runners like me use their facilities.

1:30pm: Kyle, Jim, and Rhona found me at this point, with cameras in their hands. I was excited to see them, but not too thrilled about the cameras!


This is a church along River Ness...less than 2 miles before the finish line

4 hours and 17 minutes after the race began...

It felt so good to feel my feet touch the track!


Many thanks to...

Kyle, Jim and Rhona...for cheering me on, and for not laughing at my dysfunctional gait pattern that developed over the next day. Also, thanks to the Hunter's for hosting us that weekend...the time in Inverness was absolutely wonderful! (more pictures to come)

All the family and friends that encouraged me during the months of training. A special thanks to the friends that reminded me the night before the race to bring my ipod!!

The Running Lab in Orange, CA...for fantastic shoes...my feet felt wonderful, and still do!! Thanks for purchasing them mom and dad!

The Endurance House in Wisconsin...for fantastic running apparel...