(Rob) Flori is amazing as a woman, wife, mother, and now . . . marathoner. We ran her first marathon yesterday. It was a bit more than we expected as we transitioned from rolling country hills to several miles of steep mountain grades (some between 10 and 16 percent). But Flori finished strong.
There were several highlights. At one of the aid stations a family was handing out water and gatorade. Their ~6 year old daughter had her head down and was focusing on getting the cups just right. As we walked through the aid station we stopped to get one of her cups. I said, "thanks, (and pointing to Flori), see what girls can do." She looked up from her work and you could see this sweet realization and inspiration come over her face as she saw Flori. Girls can do hard things. The next highlight was at the top of the mountain climb. Beautiful views (and the power gel wasn't bad either); a spectacular combination of running through mountains, meadows, and riversides (see New River, which many claim is one of our oldest rivers).
Finally, a great highlight was coming to the finish line and seeing our neighbors who had driven all the way up to cheer us in (thanks for the video) and other friends who made a yard sign that greeted us when we got home.
