spectating

Since I couldn't run Kaiser, I decided to be the best spectator I could possibly be.

So I made signs.


It was so awesome to watch people laugh as they ran by -- felt really damn good to be able to make people smile in the middle of a tough race. (And it was tough -- temperatures in the 70s -- way too warm.) There was a lot of whooping and hollering. Some people yelled: "Zombies! Yeah!" One guy shouted: "The end is nigh!" And a few fellow spectators took photos of my sign.

I loved cheering for my friends -- saw them start and caught them around the 6-mile mark and then right before the finish chute. Even though I've run with Jessa many times and we've been in the same events, this was my first time actually watching her race. She did great -- 1:46:05. I also saw Dana, who finished in 2:00:46 (so close -- she was going for sub-2). And I was so proud of Laura -- this was her first half ever, and she clocked 2:22:35.

I'm grateful they all finished strong and healthy. Not everyone was so lucky. Laura said she saw two people passed out and one guy about to topple over. And tonight, we found out that one runner didn't make it -- a 35-year-old Orinda man finished the race, collapsed and then died. So incredibly sad -- 35 years old!

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.