marathon cheers

this sunday brought

a beautiful day

AND

the twin cities marathon

for the first time in a few years

stacey isn't running a marathon this fall

BUT

we still went down to cheer on the runners

we weren't sure how things would be set up

because of the threat of black lives matter protests

BUT ...

it was very organized

one side of the road had barricades and fences

for the entire last mile of the race

it was a perfect day for running

and for being a spectator

we spent a good 4 hours cheering on the runners

but my favorite moment came when we were standing near the finish ...

an older man had collapsed about 100 yards from the finish

and 2 younger men helped him up ...

THEN ...

they stuck with him for the remainder of the race

i was COMPLETELY filled with so many emotions -

as was everyone else watching it unfold

everyone was cheering VERY loudly for them!

within 24 hours, the story of the 3 men went viral

apparently the older man has coached high school cross country and track

for many years and everyone that he has worked with

has nothing but amazing things to say about him

these 2 younger men had no idea who they were helping that day

but they made a huge difference in his life ...

and in mine.