The morning started quite early. We had the whole family packed in the van and on the road by 6AM. Eating breakfast en-route,we arrived at the base a little before 7AM. Mom quickly met up with some friends who had also signed up for the race. The whole brightly colored crew donned their bibs, made small talk, then made their way to the start line.
With the sun up, and the heat rising, the siren sounded around 8AM, and off they went. The course for this particular gem was a 'there and back': Racers began at the Air Mobility Command Museum, snaked around the perimeter of the runways to the far corner of the base, then made their way back to the museum.
With mom out on her whirlwind tour of the base, the kids and I toured the museum. Surprisingly, the kids were really into this. We got to climb in two planes out on the tarmac then made our way into the hanger where, among a wealth of other things, there was a beautifully restored B17 on display.
While we chilled in the air conditioned hanger, Mom fought heat, a lack of shade, raw boredom, and a shortage of cups at the water stations. Her official time is clocked at 2:18:53. This was 'gun time' as this was not a chip race. She finished 110th overall, out of 194 racers, and 10th out of 20 in her division. And she persisted to run the entire course. This is all the more impressive given the nature of the day and course.
Congratulations, Mom. We're all very proud of you.
