A Run To Remember

"We run to involve the community, the nation, and perhaps the world in the continuing progress of coping with the tragedy of the past.  We run as a step toward a better future."  ~OKC Memorial Marathon mission

Well as of Sunday at 9:14 am, half marathon number 2 is in the books for this girl!

Leaving the hotel on race morning at 4:45 am

That's right, I checked that off the 30 by 30 item list when I crossed the finish line at the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon.  Not only was my time better than my first half marathon, but this time Loud Oklahoma Girl ran it was well and finished her first half!  It was so much fun to watch her accomplish the goal she set for herself after watching me cross the finish line in San Francisco two years ago.  She rocked it, and then she cried.  Just like she did for me in San Francisco.

Officially I finished at 2:30:05, which is an 11:27 pace, which beat my prior half marathon time by almost 5 minutes!  Plus I ran the entire race--no walking, no breaks.  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself.

Crossing the finish line

For me, however, the best part of the OKC marathon was its purpose.  The marathon is run in remembrance of the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995 when the Murrah building was bombed.  The race day began with a sunrise church service underneath the survivor tree, which was miraculously not damaged in the bombing.  From there, we made our way to the starting line, where there were 168 seconds of silence---one for each of the victims.  One second for each husband, mother, child, father, wife, friend, baby and loved one lost in the senseless attack.  Along the race course, there are 168 banners that bear the names of the fallen.

Sunrise service at the Survivor Tree

The day before the race, we went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Museum.  If you have not been, it's a must see.  The Memorial itself is beautiful and touching.  A somber place set between walls portraying the before (9:01 am) and after (9:03 am) of the moment when Oklahoma City was changed forever.  There sit 168 chairs, one for each of the victims.  There are 19 smaller chairs, for the 19 babies who were killed in the daycare center.  At the museum, there are striking photographs, videos, and mementos that show the horror of that day.  I took pictures of just a few of them.  What struck me the most was the idea that April 19, 1995 was a normal day in Oklahoma City.  People drank coffee and kissed their spouses  dropped children off at daycare and went to the office.  And then all hell broke loose.  The museum does an amazing job of showing that idea.

Day care center Easter photo 5 days before the bombing.

"Here is the botton mline the way I look at it, if Tim McVeigh's legal
rights are protected, then yours and mine are.  If his aren't, then yours
and mine may not be.  Who wants to take that chance?"
--Stephen Jones (McVeigh's criminal defense attorney)

I can't recommend this race enough.  It truly is a run to remember.  To remember each one of the victims, to remember their families, to remember that horrible day in 1995, and to remember that even in the most senseless of tragedies, when the world is at its darkest, there is hope.  Combine that remembrance with finishing a half marathon---accomplishing a goal that (at least for me and LOKG) once seemed impossible---and you leave there sore, exhausted, and inspired.  That's running at its best.

Me and LOKG - 2013 OKC Memorial Half Marathon Finishers!