This year I decided to join in on the fun of the Mankato Marathon. Since the Mankato Marathon fell on Nick's birthday this year, we decided to train for the half marathon! We were very excited for the race to finally get here (I think I was a little more anxious than Nick) but about 8 weeks ago we found a fabulous running group that really pushed each of us and kept us on track for training!
This year for the race we were planning on my family attending, Nick's sister Jenni and her family coming, and Auntie Rachel coming to cheer us on! We were so surprised on Friday night to have Nick's dad, Rick, at our back door! He flew in from Goldbar, Washington to encourage and support us!
Throughout the race I just remember feeling so much adrenaline and power. There were SO many familar faces and words of encouragement along the way. I will definitely be doing this experience again. We were both very happy with our times and with the overall experience. With 1500 runners, Nick finished in 85th place with a time of 1:34:35 and I finished in 326th place with a time of 1:48:38! Right after the race we went out for well deserved drinks and brunch with family and our friends Kris and Karla (who surprised us along the race as well!). Then we headed to Minneapolis to go to the Gopher vs. Husker game to see more friends and family.
Overall it was a wonderful weekend and we couldn't feel more blessed with the fabulous friends and family we continue to have around us!
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| Before the Race! Trying to stay warm! |
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| We were excited to be running and warming up! |
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| Getting some love from the crowd! |
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| Pushing it to the Finish! |
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| All Done! |
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My wonderful running friends!
Family Snapshot! |
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| Kris and Karla Dutton! |
