Holly Young's Team In Training Page

A Great Race!

11/1/06

I'm mentally in San Francisco right now...it's a nice escape from the 48 degree day we're having in South Bend! I'm not complaining, though; I feel so fortunate to have had a mini-vacation and enjoyed 80 degree days and sunshine. So much to do and see in San Francisco, and the race was a great way to see some breathtaking sites.

Running with TNT made this race the most meaningful I've ever run. There were countless coaches out on the course cheering for us, and every mile we ran was worth thousands of dollars raised. There were 4500 TNT participants in both the marathon and half marathon, and we raised a whopping $16 million. I loved being a part of something so successful! And thanks to you I raised $5310. My last donation came from the woman I sat next to on the plane to SF. Her name was Dawn. We became immediate friends and she told me her father died of leukemia; then she reached into her purse and pulled out a $20, handed it to me and told me to run hard!

I thought of Dawn's father and all of the other loved ones I heard about from you. It truly kept me running hard and with determination to run a successful race.

I was very pleased with my race time: 4:06. My goal was to beat 4:15. And considering the hills of SF, I am eager to see what I can do now on a flat course! I came in 351st out of 3,974 marathoners.

Thank you for believing in me and for all of the encouraging words these past few months as I've put time into fundraising and training. It went a long way!