It. Was. Awesome.
There's nothing like being surrounded by a hundred some people who are all pumped up for the same reason. In this case the reason was freedom. Freedom for the women (and children) who are entrapped in sexual slavery. Each runner pushing their body out of their comfort zone. Running, panting, pushing for a cause. We had hoped to raise $5,000 for this first-ever race. A little over $8,000 was brought in and more than that was the amount of awareness that was raised. What a great platform to let people know THIS IS A PROBLEM AND IT'S REAL AND IT'S NOT GOING AWAY UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. It was a beautiful day and a powerful event. Thanks for whatever way you might have supported this cause. It is making a difference. I'm convinced.
I ran the race well. Steady pace, no stopping, no slowing down, and a strong finish. I crossed the finish line around 31 mins with adreneline pumping. I hadn't ran a full 3.1 during my training so I was relieved I made it. I'm still not all that hot on running, but I don't hate it. That's pretty huge.
For the Martin family, our journey in spreading awareness and supporting the battle to end human trafficking continues. God has enabled us to support The Daughter Project in a very special way. Ask us about it some time :)
Shot gun start.
The last 1/2 mile.
My #1 fan. This guy was at each mile marker cheering me on, which means
he had to run faster than I did get there. Super sweet. Might have been my
favorite part of the race...
I chose to run for Mona. There was a poster board with a list of names of
women in the red light district in India who have been identified and whom the
workers from the Aruna project have begun relationships with in an effort to get them out.
My prayer is that Mona's name will be crossed off when we have this race again next year.
