Madrid 10K

A couple of weeks ago, we were walking in Retiro and noticed that a bunch of tents, barricades, and inflatable gates had been installed in the park.  At first we had no idea what these things were for, but then we noticed that there were signs up for the Madrid Half-Marathon.  Being the inquisitive people we are, we went home and saw that the half-marathon was in conjunction with a 5k, but that it was too late to register for either.  Brian started doing some more research on possible running events he could take part in, and saw that the Madrid Marathon and 10k were coming up in two weeks.  He promptly signed up for the 10k, and started working hard on his training regimen.  (Ok, he didn't really because the weather was so bad, but he got a few runs in)  As you can see below, the weather was nasty, and one day we were surprised to see and hear hail outside!

As the day of the race neared, Brian was looking at the website for the packet pick up information, and saw that there was a PASTA PARTY on the day before the race for all the runners!  So, of course we went and participated :)  The pick-up site also had a mini-convention going on inside, so we went to get some free swag.  There were 10,000+ people signed up between the two races (I think), so there were people everywhere, but we were really impressed by the organization of the whole thing.

Brian left before I did this morning to get to the starting line in time.  I followed behind on my bike, hoping that I'd get to see him at least once during the race.  Once I got to the starting line, I was amazed at how many people were there, and I pretty much gave up all hope of seeing him.  He HAD worn a bright yellow t-shirt, thinking he would stand out, but didn't realize that the race t-shirts were the exact same color - thus making him impossible to stand out (I'm thinking about getting a hot pink jersey for him if he does another race...)  Crazily enough, I saw 2 guys we had met the previous week at church getting ready to run!  Think about it - we probably know a total of 30 people in this city, and I see two of them in the midst of at least 10,000+ people... and then as I'm taking a picture of them, Brian walks up!  I guess I stuck out with my bright orange bike and baby blue helmet.

I had hoped to catch Brian in front of this major landmark and then quickly bike to the finish line to get his photo as he crossed the line, but somehow, I lost him and didn't get either of those photos.  So, here's the photo that will have to do.

Brian did a fantastic job running, and I was so proud to see him several times on the course with a huge smile on his face.  He's pretty fantastic, and I'm glad I have such an adventuresome, determined, and fun-loving guy around.