Run Girl Run Half Marathon

Sunday I ran with Moxie. No, it isn't my running partner, rather, Moxie is a word that means “backbone, fortitude and determination,” and was the embodiment of the runners at the inaugural “Run Girl, Run,” organized by Moxie Runners of Portland.

The starting line was at the Sleep Country amphitheater in Richland. There was plenty of room to park, and the volunteers did a great job with directing us. When I got to the starting area, I was greeted by a sea of pink shirts. I met up with my friend Erica, whom I know from Running Chicks in PDX, and her friend Maureen. Prior to the start, We heard from Nancy Fleck, director of Girls on the Run, which is a mentorship program for preteen girls to build self-esteem and healthy living. Then Andrea, the race director, gave a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers who made this race possible. It was clear how moved she was by all of the support she received. After singing the National Anthem, we were off!

The race started in some nice residential neighborhoods and was relatively flat for the first couple miles. I was actually going at a fairly fast pace until I encountered the first hill around mile 3. Then there were more rolling hills once the course took us onto some some major roads. There was a steep hill right before mile 5 but then all of us got a little break as we headed down a steep hill into Salmon Creek Park. The shade from the trees was really refreshing, as it was starting to heat up already. This part of the race was an out-and-back; at 7.5 miles, we turned around, which meant having to go back up that steep hill out of the park somewhere after mile 9, followed by another hill ahead. The course took us through another residential area, and then onto more open road. Miles 11 and 12 each had hills before making the turn to the back of the amphitheater. Hearing the music playing and seeing the finish gave me the burst of energy I needed to sprint to the finish. I PR'd with a time of 1:57:23, and when I looked at the results, I saw that I placed 3rd in my age group.

This was my first all women's race. I was so impressed by everything I experienced: the camaraderie, the wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to make this possible, the organizations who sponsored the race and the director, Andrea, who organized all of this. But most of all, I was impressed by the moxie shown by all of the runners who braved the hills and the heat and still finished the race with smiles.