That’s right, $18.5 MILLION. The Nike SF weekend

That’s right, $18.5 MILLION. The Nike SF weekend

Originally posted on MySpace 10/24/2007. Reposted for Caroline's Best of 2007 Blog contest.

The longer I'm involved with the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society's Team in Training, the more amazed I am at what we've accomplished.  This past weekend at the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco just pushed things to new heights.

Saturday:
Staff and Coaches meeting: I was at the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon last June and found out how many people it took to support a race with over 20,000 participants.  Having our home chapter host this one was a real kick.  We had maybe 600 people at the pre-race breifing.

I never forget what it's all about.  And I'm not the only one.

This is for BANGIN' BRUNETTE since she liked that poster with all the names of the particiapants.  This is a picture of the wall at Niketown - 23,000 names in inch-high letters - as a tribute to those who are about to make history as the largest women's athletic event EVER.

The pasta party was GI-NORMOUS.  TNT filled the entire Moscone Center North with 8,400 participants friends and family in a single room.  Pictures don't do justice to the efficiency of the staff at Moscone. They had us all seated and dinner finished within an hour so we could start the program.

I was fortunate enough to meet the honoree speaker, Amy Bartlett.  She's two years cancer-free and when she spoke she stumbled a little just before she was able to proudly say "I'm a survivor."  The standing ovation of 8,400 people was a bit overwhelming for her.  Amy also maintains a blog at www.ichoosehope.com. Her thoughts on the weekend are already posted.

(and yes, my lips are severely chapped from being in the sun without sunblock for 7 hours )

Sunday - Race Day:
Nothing says 'ugh' like the alarm clock going off at 3:30 AM (not that it was much of a surprise since no one really sleeps the night before a race anyway). We do our best to look chipper (our full marathoners at the early start)

A couple of VERY proud coaches:

And some great friends:

The weather was just about perfect. Mid 50's at the gun, upper 60's at the end and not a cloud in the sky.  (Mile 6, Chrissy Field)

I spent most of the first two hours climbing the Lincoln hill at 6.5.  It's a 120 foot climb in less than a quarter mile and usually scares people who didn't train on hills. At the top of the hill though, there's what we call the "Mission Mile".  Every TNT chapter makes poster boards of their team honored patients.  If there's a drain on you physically after the tough climb, it reminds you why you're doing what you're doing.

I wish I had more time to take pictures, but I caught a few that made me just beam as a coach. These three walked the last few hundred yards down the chute carrying this banner in memory of a fallen honoree.

This is Brendi.  Her son Cole was born with Leukemia and died at the age of 2.  Race day would have been his fifth birthday and a number of the East Bay teams wore a number 5 in his memory.  This was Brendi's first full marathon. She finished it hand in hand with her daughter.

The last marathoner came it at just over 8 hours and 20 minutes from the early start.  He walked the gauntlet of the 40ish coaches who stayed until every last participant crossed the finish line.

So the numbers:

23,000 participants. The largest women's event ever held (including the 900 brave men )
5,301 runners and walkers from Team in Training
$18.5 MILLION dollars raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with more donations rolling in for the next few weeks.

TNT is having its 20th anniversary next year and has raised over $800 million since 1988.  We hope that this time next year, Nike will be the race that pushes us over the $1 billion mark.

We're in our final stages of recruiting participants for the winter season.  On the schedule are the Kaiser San Francisco Half Marathon, the Rock n Roll Phoenix Marathon, The California International Marathon in Los Angeles and the Rome Marathon.  If we get lucky, we'll be supporting all four races and it'll be a photoblogging extravaganza.

In the meantime, I'm just going to sit here, take Advil, rub in the vanishing-scent Icy Hot and be humbled to be a part of something that makes such a difference.

I'm light on blog links this week, but I'd be interested in a few things:

If anyone is posting a Make A Difference Day blog, please send me a link. I'd love to know what kind of causes and charities you're passionate about. Also, a lot of my cousins and friends are in the San Diego area and were evactuated because of the fires.  If you've got pictures or updates, please, let me know.