Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon Part I

Hello friends. I’ve got loads to tell you so this will be a long post.

Jon will be running the Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon tomorrow.

Yesterday we trekked down to the Qwest Field Event Center to pickup Jon’s race packet and swag at the race expo. There were swarms of people everywhere and our little city was abuzz with giddy marathoners toting swag bags over their shoulders.

These events are so much fun and there is so much to see and do. With music blaring, we sampled food, played games and perused isles upon isles of athletic clothing and running shoes. I think the girls were overwhelmed by the size and volume of the event and at first looked a little out of sorts.

After seeing just about all we could see, we made our way back toward downtown. We walked through the ancient Pioneer Square district where the cobbled stone streets and old street lamps gave off a subtle sense of how Seattle used to be. I must say that this area is one of the most picturesque of Seattle’s landmarks -- that is, if you can ignore the transients and drug dealers who occupy almost every park bench and doorway.

The girls were getting tired from all the walking so we almost hopped a ride in one of these but instead elected to walk the duration.

We ended our walk at the W Hotel where we attended a pre-race dinner hosted by the American Cancer Society. As a member of the American Cancer Society -- Team DetermiNation, Jon’s training and participation in the Rock & Roll Marathon helped to raise over $1,600 in the fight against all types of cancer. He’s dedicated his race to our daughter Alex, who many of you know, lost her left eye due to a rare form of cancer called Retinoblastoma when she was just 2-years old.

The dinner was incredible. In attendance were cancer survivors, friends/family of those who have passed, and runners who just genuinely wanted to make a difference. It was a long night with presentations by cancer survivors and even a scientist from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The girls were on their best behavior even though they were bored with some of the material.

{The speaker from Fred Hutch. asked if anyone had questions regarding the type of research he was doing and Sammy raised her hand and said, "The worms I find in my backyard don't look like that. How come those worms aren't the same color?" It was such a great moment. I was actually wondering the same thing too. HA!}

We were caught off guard when one of the speakers asked for survivors to come to the stage to be awarded a medal. Alex headed toward the stage and I tried to snap a few pictures but they all came out blurry and dark. I just didn't have enough time to get my camera ready and before I knew it, the medal was already placed around Alex's neck. Darn!

When the night came to an end, everyone began making their way toward the exits and several people stopped to congratulate Alex on being a survivor. Alex thanked each and every one of them but then whispered to me, “Why are they saying this to me.” She still doesn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about.

Tomorrow Jon will run the marathon and the girls and I will be on the sidelines keeping up a huge ruckus with our cow bells and "Go Daddy!" signs. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to share with you next week.

I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyone who has shown us their support for this cause, support for our family and most importantly support for our little girl. Friends and family, and people we barely know, donated money helping Jon to surpass his fundraising goal. For this, we are eternally grateful. Thank you.