VICTORY!!

Dear Readers,

It is my great pleasure and honor to inform you that I am officially a marathon finisher! On Sunday, October 11, I completed the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a time of 4:30'51" and placed 18,860th out of 33,608 finishers.

I kept a steady pace of about 10 minutes for all 26.2 miles. In fact, my first mile was 10'30", and my final mile clocked in under 10 minutes. Had I not stopped to use a Port-O-Let during my twenty-second mile, I would have finished in under 4 hours, 25 minutes*. Needless to say, I am thrilled with these results!

Furthermore, I am relieved to report that I finished the race without injury. Yes, my toe and knees and hamstrings that had so often threatened me throughout training were obedient and resilient through 26.2 miles.

I am very sorry to say that the Verizon-sponsored runner tracking notifications were a major disappointment. Everyone I talked to that signed up has told me that either no notifications were sent, or that only one very late notification was sent. If you were worried that perhaps I did not finish, please rest easy - I kicked butt all over the Windy City, mile after mile, for 26.2 miles, through twenty-nine different neighborhoods. My only regret is that you could not share in this excitement in the form of periodic text messages and emails.

But never fear! There are photos! Click here to view a short photo album taken from the sideline at various points along the course. My thanks to Kat for the awesome photos and even greater moral support!

I plan on writing more about my marathon experience, but for now, I would like to just say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me in any form over the past 6 months. Your kind words and helpful advice meant so much to me.

Finally, I'd like to give special thanks to each and every person who contributed to my fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With your help, I have raised over $1,450 for an organization that will use it for tremendous good.

Victoriously,

Your 18,860th Place Finisher,

Kevin

*For the record, I have no regrets about the pit stop. After over 3 and a half hours of constant hydration, it was a necessary measure.