Pat's Run Eve

Wow, what a day. I just got back a few minutes ago from picking up the final member of my student group, Taylor, from the airport in Phoenix. After suffering an injury during soccer practice last week, we weren't sure if she was going to make it out here, but we were able to make it work, and now our team is complete. After an awesome day of meeting new people, hearing great stories, and making the final preps before the big race, we've got plenty to bring her up to speed on - and I guess I've got quite a few updates for you as well...

So after our marathon day on Thursday, Marisa, Joelle, and I came back to the hotel, went to our rooms and crashed as our bodies totally shut down. Meanwhile, Lindsay went home to Gilbert so that she could have a night to spend with her family. We had a nice and slow morning, as we weren't heading to the Stadium until noon. After utilizing the hotel's nifty little fitness room for a workout, I joined Joelle and Marisa for breakfast in the hotel lobby. We then went to Walmart to run some quick errands, but that in itself was an awesome trip, just enjoying the breathtaking Arizona scenery on the way there.  We then made our way over to the Stadium, met up with Lindsay and got to work.  The girls worked a variety of stations from bib-pickup, to greeting, and registration. I got pulled early to do some lifting, and worked to setup the various refreshment areas after the finish line.

First a quick note that I neglected to make yesterday; amidst all the sadness and chaos that our country has endured over the last few day, this experience has continued to be refreshing in capturing my attention to all the good that humanity is capable of. I was amazed at all the different types of people coming out to pick up their race gear. While most marathons, 10k's, and 5k's draw a sometimes stereotypical "runner" crowd, it appears that Pat's Run has no specific audience. I've seen police officers, mail carriers, businesspeople, senior citizens, college students, runners, walkers, parents, children, teachers, military members - just to name a few, in terms of who is supporting this event. People are coming from all walks of life to support the cause of educating the military, inspired by a man who gave it all up to serve his country.

The best part of my day had to be meeting other volunteers and getting to hear/learn about their personal stories. I worked with a young man named Alex to start stocking the snack tables, and learned how he grew up in Arizona, his die-hard love for ASU, and how he was connected to the run. It was neat to hear Pat's legacy from a sports fan, in contrast to those who have supported the foundation after his military career. Alex grew up living, breathing, and sleeping ASU football with his father and brothers. They had season tickets to the games and followed the players closely, Pat being one of them.  So when Pat joined the Army Rangers, Alex only grew more fond of him. It made me think "wow," what if some of my already favorite athletes decided to join the military - THAT is what it was like for people who were sports fans of Pat before anyone else knew who he was, and I admire the special bond between a sports fan like Alex and one of his all-time favorite players. I'm happy to report that Alex is wrapping up credits at community college, as he prepares to enter ASU for his junior year and officially become a Sun Devil...something he's unofficially been his whole life.

I also got to work with a gentleman named Harlem, who works for Wells Fargo, and was volunteering as part of a business team. Harlem and I logged some serious hours setting up the remainder of the snack tables, as well as some other heavy-lifting odd jobs. We got scooped up in a cart by Judy, from the Foundation, who called us "her muscle," as we drove around tying up varying loose ends...you could call us volunteer mercenaries if you want. I was truly awed at getting to work with Alex and Harlem today as I got to know two other people who I otherwise would have never met. Harlem was born and raised in, you guess it - Harlem NY, and is father to two little girls. It was great chatting with him, hearing about fatherhood, his journey to AZ, and various other "life topics" we covered.

Today was one of those days where you can't stop enjoying the moments that you are in, and you eventually just find yourself at the end of the day.  We did so well, that they didn't really need us for the super late shift, which enabled us to get back to the hotel and grab some sleep before picking up Taylor. At this point though, I'm going to get a few more nods of sleep before we get up at 4am to surprise the Foundation by showing up 3 hours before the race to help with their early-bird volunteer session.  I'll post some more pics and race details below:

*Our story aired on News 12 today and can be seen here.
*The race begins at 7:05am PST tomorrow, that's 10:05 EST. The race will be covered live on News 12.
*My BIB number is 8462 and though there isn't live tracking online, you can check results here.
*The students worked to fundraise money so that we could donate as a school, but if you are looking for a way to donate to the Foundation, you can access my page here.

Desert terrain en route to Walmart

Crossing the bridge to Sun Devil Stadium

"Pat's Run" banner outside the Stadium