**8 DECEMBER 2008**
Here we are, Event #1 complete, the Tucson Marathon…Team Wounded Warrior Project took 3rd Place Overall (of 1,001 finishers)! It was a perfect running day, great course, 40s to start, 50s to 60s the rest of the race…slightly overcast (for the first time in, well, probably since the beginning of time here in Arizona)…so the sun wasn’t a significant drain.
The scene was perfect for a personal record…and I set one…2 hours, 42 minutes was a 4 minute PR for me!
I was in 6th place until about mile 19, and was able to drop a couple guys…and the leader (who was a good 7 minutes up at one point), had to stop with a cramp of some sort at mile 23. So that rate of attrition gave us Team WWP a 3rd place finish…here are some photos (double click on pics for a better view):
Mile 19, and I’m about to pass the 4th place runner to take over 3rd place…
This is me racing a dump truck at mile 26…
The pain sets in…
(CPT) Monique Checuti, a friend from West Point & the Army
(CPT) Timbo Slice, a great guy and pilot
At left, Julia Gibbs and her daughter Mattox. Up & at right, Julia’s husband Jeremy (another Captain & Army pilot), also with Mattox. Just above is Steve Checuti, a West Point classmate of mine, helping me get through some tight legs…
All these people, pictured above, have given to the Wounded Warrior Project with their generous donations, but additionally, and more importantly, their support helped sustain me to this 3rd Place finish…without them, the image below was not possible! Thank you guys, sincerely!
he matt,
great job and antother great thing is the collecting money with your runs.
Good luck and be save on your army trips.
martine
(goretex transrockies run, luitenant from the netherlands, remember?)
http://www.runtodream.nl