Tracey - Nike Women's Marathon 2009

Tracey ran the Nike Women's Marathon this past weekend in San Francisco. We headed down early Saturday and first went to Union Square to pick up Tracey's running packet with her number, running chip, etc. It was buzzing with activity. They set up a huge area that covered all of open area in Union Square. It was there that they had the wall with all of the names of the runners. You will see Tracey pointing to her name in the pictures above. We were going to drive the course, since Tracey had never run it, but decided instead to check into our hotel first. We stayed at the Marriott: Residence Inn in South San Francisco, just up from Candlestick Park. It was a great room, very spacious and comfortable. It was only 15 minutes from downtown, so it was a perfect location. On the morning of the race we parked at AT&T park (Go Giants!) and they shuttled us to Union Square where 20,000 runners and their families were gathered. It was crazy! We waited for the 7:00 a.m. start and then Tracey was off. I hopped on a shuttle bus to mile 11 of the race. They had a stop at mile 4, but the line was so long for the shuttle that Tracey was already past mile 4 by the time I boarded. I was able to see her just past 11, which was awesome. She looked great. She said her knee was bothering her a bit, but I knew this would not deter her in anyway! I then walked to the finish, no not 15.2 more miles! The runners continue on from that point and turn back to the finish, which was close to mile 11. The finish was right on the coast along the old great highway, just down from the Cliff House. What an amazing place to run. I was able to see Tracey run the final stretch to the finish. She was jamming! There were tons of people there. I found a ledge that allowed me to look over most of the people right at the edge of the course. The official results aren't in but she finished right around 4hrs22min. This is an amazing time, when you consider the hills they ran! We drove the course after the race and I was amazed at the difficulty of this marathon. I guess that's why they say it's not a race to choose if you're trying to qualify for Boston, etc. So Tracey ran almost the same as her best time in the CIM, which is a much "easier" course compared to this one. Tracey received her necklace from Tiffany & Co. They had S.F. Firefighters in tuxedos handing them out to the finishers. I'm still in awe every time I see Tracey complete a marathon. It is such an incredible feat of endurance physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Marriott was kind enough to give us a late check out so Tracey could shower, etc. which was really nice. Then we drove to the Wharf and ate some delicious crab sandwiches. The weather was beautiful -- Clear skies and the temperature was right around 60 degrees. We left the Wharf and drove the course, stopping at the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge. I never get tired of seeing that bridge. We then drove out along the Old Great Highway toward Daly City and then headed back home. It was a wonderful trip and I'm grateful that I was able to share it with Tracey.