October 22, 2014

A Season Recap from the Spokane URA Team!

The Spokane Up and Running Again team concluded its training season with the Spokane Half Marathon on October 12, 2014. I am so proud of each and every one of our runners who worked so hard to complete such an incredible accomplishment.

Our team geared up for the race at South Hill Bible Church in Spokane for the carbo-load banquet on Friday, October 10. Along with the blessing of having family members and friends at the banquet, we were so thankful to have Steve Tierney visit us and be a part of the banquet. A challenging message was given by Pastor John Underhill, and each runner received their certificate of completion and team shirt for the race.

Congratulations to Michael Mathews, recipient of the Excellence Award! Her perfect attendance for the season, wonderful attitude and hard work was an inspiration to our team. Each team member was such an encouragement to me and each other, so it made it difficult to choose just one recipient of this award!

Next it was on to race day, and we were so blessed with such a beautiful and sunny fall day. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” was the theme for the day. Here’s the team before packing into the van over to the race:

Waiting around during the cool morning for the start of the race:

We cheered on Donna Lynn before she took off on the 10K run:

And here’s the team just about ready to finally hit the streets for the half marathon:

A couple shots during the run:

I am so proud of the team for conquering this course! Known for its constant elevations changes, the course features a handful of challenging climbs throughout the course. “Doomsday Hill” (pictured above) infamous from the nationally recognized Bloomsday race that is run the first Sunday in May, came just before mile 9 and is almost a mile in length when the hill is all said and done.

The best part of the course layout, was that the last couple of miles were run on the exact stretch of the Centennial Trail that we ran during our weekday runs throughout the season. Finishing just around the corner from our “home course” was a real boost to the finish line!

Here are some (blurry, sorry!) photos from the finish area. Great job runners!