Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Marathon Man

St. George Marathon
October 1st, 2011
26.2 Miles
3 hours, 15 minutes, 32 secs = sub 7:30 minute miles = Stinkin' Fast
Way to Go, Jason!

On Saturday Jason ran the St. George marathon. Despite the fatigue that inevitably follows two solid weeks of travel, he did AWESOME!

When Jason sprinted by at mile 21, he looked positively radiant. While some runners' faces were already contorted with pain, Jason seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his Saturday morning jaunt.

Here he is pausing to give the girls a hug at a spot just a couple blocks away from our home.

In fact, our only complaint was that Jason was a little too fast. We simply couldn't keep up with him, literally. Here's Brooklyn cheering at the finish line.

By the time she arrived with her encouraging words of "You're almost there", Jason had already made it to the finish.

At least Jason was thoughtful enough to save a popsicle.

In all honesty, I really don't know what to write about the race. I know that it was hard and it was long and it hurt, but Jason made it look so easy! Jason experienced more of a runner's high than he ever has in the past, and it showed. We were all praying that he could simply finish the race without injury, and instead he shattered his previous personal record by a full seventeen minutes. While he may be hobbling around on sore legs at the moment, judging by the elation on his face in the aftermath of this race, my suspicion is that you'll find him at the finish line again--and soon.

Congratulations, Jason!

P.S. Congrats are equally due to Jason's younger brother Justin who ran the Top of Utah Marathon just a few weeks ago. Read all about his skin-drenching, band-aid-sporting, trophy-awarding fun right here. Three cheers for the Wheeler Marathon Machines!

5 comments:

Jenika said...

Brooklyn's handmade sign made me choke up. That has to be one of the best parts of being a parent. That's what families are for and what life is all about. Thanks for sharing - and congrats to Jason!!

Jason said...

I have Kara to thank for a wonderful race - not only did you watch the kids countless Saturday mornings while I did my long runs, you also gave me the needed inspiration and encouragement to stick to it when the going got tough.

Your amazing Utah Valley Marathon finish led me to follow your training schedule (although without the same level of dedication) and technique for tackling the race itself. You are the best! And thanks for your kind and generous descriptions of a husband who is way more awkward and geeky than one would ever imagine from reading your blog.

Love you!

Brittney Richards said...

Way to go Jason. I am impressed by your speed, and doing it on so little sleep after traveling so much and going through 2 different time zones. Amazing!! We're glad you came to visit and miss you already. I love Brooklyn's sign.

Chou said...

WOOOOT!

Justin said...

Jason, we need to find another race to run STAT! With a time like that, it's Boston or bust!