Ready, set, go!
That’s how most races start? Wrong! The preferred method of race start is two commands: “Runners set” and “Go” or an air horn. How do I know? Because I say it!
This weekend I said those magic words for 1500 half marathoners and 500 5k runners in the inaugural Norfolk Freedom Half marathon!
Freedom Marathon, INC is a fantastic organization to work for with a focus on celebrating and supporting our nation’s military through endurance events. I announced their Memorial Day 8k in Green Cove Springs, FL.
The weekend started off at the health and fitness expo. Boy did we have some celebs in the house! Bart Yasso, chief running officer of Runner’s World Magazine, was there to speak along with and Annie Audain, 6-time Olympian and former world record holder in the 5000M. We also had some local Virginia pageant queens.
 |
| Miss United States |
 |
| Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen |
It was wonderful talking and interacting with Annie and Bart. They are a wealth of running info and I picked their brains about how to conquer my first sub-2 half marathon.
How to run faster? Bart recommends running slower as well as faster during the week to allow my legs to rest. Annie is a fan of running 50m repeats on hills. This she says helps you in races of all length.
My favorite booth of the weekend was the Cabot Creamery Cooperative booth. Free cheese samples? Yes please! I limited myself to 2 a day, however they were thoroughly enjoyed. They even gave me coupons to take home!! Cabot has a tasty line of reduced fat cheeses, which I always go for.
The race was in a stunning location right on the water in downtown Norfolk. As the runners took off I enjoyed seeing the pride in the faces of many people who made this event possible. As I said before, this race supports the military and as a Navy brat I am all for that. This particular event raised money for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Norfolk Office to End Homelessness.
The Freedom Marathon will be back in Norfolk next Veterans Day so please consider adding it to your race schedule. It was a cool, flat course for a great cause.
I’ll be there! Runners’ set…
Love and magic miles,
Carissa & Kyle
What a great weekend and a terrific cause! Thank you for the Cabot <3 - our farm family owners (and I) really appreciate it :)
ReplyDeleteI still think it is so cool you do race announcing. You should do a post on how you got into it!
ReplyDelete