Atlanta Half Marathon

Sixteen weeks of training and fundraising led to a 5am wake-up call on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I raised $2,550 for the American Cancer Society in honor of Aunt Wendy's battle. (The runners at this DetermiNation event raised a total of $8,490.)

The drive into the city was full of fog and light mist. The traffic was crazy, but thankfully Chad and Evan were able to drop me off at the start line with just enough time to check my bag and prepare for the race. The fog and mist gave way to humidity at race time, and near the finish it was close to 70 degrees and sunny. The race started and ended at Turner Field, and it looped through the Georgia State University campus, Atlantic Station, Piedmont Park, and Oakland Cemetery.

Aunt Wendy, Shannon, Ariana, Chad and Evan were there to cheer me on at mile 4 and at the finish! I looked nice and fresh for them at mile 4 (good thing they didn't see me at mile 11)! Overall, the course was nice, but very hilly. Unfortunately, I had to do some walking, but I still managed to beat my goal time of 2:05. It was close, but I finished in 2:04:21.

DetermiNation is a wonderful program and an awesome cause. I'm not sure that I'll be running for charity again soon, but I am thinking of volunteering with DetermiNation at other local races.

A big thank you to all those who donated! You guys rock!

Love,

Miquel