The Marine Corps Marathon 2004, page 2 of 5

Holy crap! There sure are a lot of people here, huh? (Hint: the crowd goes through that bridge and beyond before we even hit the start line!)

Was that it? Are we moving? Are we moving? Are we moving now?

Despite being towards the very end of the pack, it's always nice to see that there is still a crowd of runners behind us too! (Scary yet true: we haven't hit mile 2 yet and we already passed a lot of those people. We were so in the wrong starting position this year.)

Julie and Pam look awfully chipper. Eric is beaming right behind them. Deborah... looks terrified. Maybe we shouldn't have told her that story about land mines being hidden on the course.

There may have been a lot of people behind us, but there were a hell of a lot more in front of us.

Rah rah rah! That's certainly what I'm saying. Eric, meanwhile, has succumbed to the brutal heat of the day and removed his shirt from under his singlet. Deborah seems more relaxed now, while Julie is laughing at... something...

© 2001-2008 Greg McElhatton.