The highlight of my weekend was, without a doubt, the Donna 26.2 Breast Cancer Marathon relay.
Participating in this relay was my dad’s idea. He watched runners pass by my parents’ place during the race last year and felt incredibly emotional and inspired since my family has been directly touched by breast cancer. When he asked whether Ryan, Leslie, Ross and I would be interested in running in the relay with him in honor of my mom, we were all 100 percent in from the beginning.
We named our team the “Salt Water Cure” because, for as long as I can remember, my dad has believed that salt water (the ocean) can cure anything.
Ryan and I hoped to arrive in Jacksonville early enough on Saturday to attend the race expo and relax a little before bedtime, but we ended up arriving at 10 p.m. because Ryan had to work all day. It was a big bummer, and we ended up staying up past midnight chatting with my family, but fortunately the energy of race day helped me feel awake and excited when my alarm went off at 6 a.m.
Thanks to my dad for attending the expo and grabbing race bibs, t-shirts and goodie bags for all of us!
I love the look of the backpack.
When we looked at the layout of the relay ahead of time, we divided up each leg and I ended up with the first six-mile stretch. (My portion of the race covered the purple and light pink boxes on the map below.)
I was really excited to kick off the race and had a feeling it would be energizing and inspiring to be surrounded by so many runners.
Every race participant is given a race bib but they are also provided with an “I’m finishing for…” bib to attach to their back to give a shout out to the person or people who inspired them to run the race.
My sister’s finishing bib:
Ross’ bib:
(Ross’ mom and my mom are both named Susan, so I absolutely loved this!)
Seeing the finishing bibs on the backs of runners throughout the course was a constant reminder of the reason why we were all out there running. And I loved seeing the “SURVIVOR” bibs on runners who have personally fought or are currently fighting breast cancer. They are truly incredible.
It seemed like so many of the runners on the course had personal ties to breast cancer and were running this race with a lot of heart and love and a strong hope that a cure for this cancer will one day be found.
The race kicked off a little after 7:30 a.m. and I took off with my baton in hand!
My portion of the race took me through Ponte Vedra and I could not have been more impressed with the crowd support. So many people decorated their houses, set up aid stations with oranges, bananas, water and towels and blasted music or even played their own!
I have never participated in a race with this kind of crowd support and it was incredible! On more than one occasion I thought a person’s front yard was an aid station because they had so much stuff set up for runners.
And there were so, so many race volunteers who came out to help and they were just fabulous. To all of the race volunteers out there, THANK YOU!
My six miles flew by and before I knew it, I was at the first exchange zone, ready to pass the baton to my sister.
Sadie was such a good little cheerleader!
After I handed Leslie the baton, she took off and I headed over to my family to say hi. Within 20 seconds, I looked around and realized some of the other relay participants I had just been running with continued running with their teammate when they passed the baton to them. When I asked someone working at the race if I could join my sister for her portion of the relay, they said sure, so I took off after her and ended up running her 3.75 mile portion, too! Her portion ended up being a little long (3.9 miles), so my total mileage for the day was 9.9 miles. My hips and quads are sore today, but it was so much fun and I’m already looking for future races to run…
Our third runner of the day was Ryan who had the longest portion of the run to tackle at 6.75 miles. He killed it and increased our average pace by a good bit!
After Ryan, it was Ross’ turn to carry the baton and he ran 3.5 miles and didn’t even seem to break a sweat. Go Ross!
Ross passed the baton off to my dad, our final runner, who had 6.2 miles to conquer.
Though Ryan’s leg of the race was the longest, we heard from many people that my dad’s was the hardest since he had to run over a huge bridge before the finish. It also sounds like his portion didn’t include as much crowd support since he was running on a highway that was shut down, but he did incredible and our relay team finished with a time of 4:11:11.
We finished in 39th place (out of 178 relay teams) and were quite pleased with our time!
As my dad finished, the weather took a turn for the worse and it started raining. We spent about 40 minutes in the runner’s village and took advantage of the free hot soup, hot dogs and hamburgers, but it was quite chilly and wet and we eventually headed home where we learned that the course had just been shut down due to thunderstorms.
I am so glad we were able to finish but feel awful for the people who trained and were not able to cross the finish line due to weather concerns. I hope they still got a medal!
Yesterday was such a special day and I’m so grateful my dad wanted to do this race because it was a blast. I’d love to do another relay in the future!
Question of the Morning
- Would you ever want to do a marathon relay? If so, which leg would you want to run?
- Runners: What was the last race you did that had amazing spectator support?
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What a COOL race 🙂 And your family is so super awesome for making this such a family-centered event.
I would love to participate in a marathon relay someday! Plus, it was for such a great cause that is close to your heart. What a memorable experience.
It’s inspring how your family comes together to support a cause so near to your hearts. I am glad your mom is doing well!
I’m doing the PGH marathon relay with my family t his year and I am so excited! We actually have two groups of family members doing it so it will be a blast! So sad that not everyone got to finish the course, though 🙁
You will have such a blast when you guys run your relay! It was such a neat experience.
Sounds like such an amazing experience! I’m so glad you guys were able to complete it as a family 🙂
Such an awesome race! It looks like they had quite a good turnout too, which is amazing, especially for such a good cause.
What a great race, I’m sure it was very emotional for you an your family but rewarding at the same time! You’re mama must be very proud 🙂
This was such an inspirational post to read first thing in the morning! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, Jennifer!!
39th is awesome! And what a great race – sounds like a wonderful day with your family!
very inspiring!!
Great recap! It definitely made me want to run a relay 🙂 I’ve never thought about it, but my mother is a breast cancer survivor as well. Although I’ve run individual races for the cause, I think it would be even more meaningful to do a relay race with others affected by the disease.
The last race I did with great spectator support was probably the NYC Half Marathon. As you can imagine, there were people there every step of the way. However, my favorite race for spectator support was the Disney Marathon. It had just the right amount of support, but also some stretches for me to get my thoughts together. And of course, nothing is more motivating than Mickey Mouse!
So much fun!!! Well done, you guys did great!!! Bet it just feels amazing to have done it altogether as a family!
Congrats to you guys – and your mama 🙂 What a rewarding way to race – not only for a cause near and dear to your heart, but done with people near and dear to your heart as well!
Wow, what a great event! I’ve never participated in a relay but love the idea. Looks like a wonderful and triumphant day!
this made me tear up Julie, thanks for sharing … what a wonderful thing to do together with your family. I love how close you all are!
What an awesome race and I am so glad that your family was able to participate in it! Love Ross’ bib that is so sweet and clever 🙂
So fun!!! I would love to do a marathon relay sometime!! How special too, love all the crowd support and it always makes a huge difference when you’re running for something that hits so close to home in your heart!
I love this! I would love to do a marathon relay. I think relays are so much fun. I did the Ragnar a few years ago and it was by far my most fun running event!
Congrats on your finish! it’s a great race! The sponsor of the soup tent (and a lot of the race) is a client of mine. I was at the race last year, but wasn’t able to make it down this year. I heard about the horrible weather…I’m so glad you finished in time and didn’t get pulled off the course!
This sounds like such a lovely experience! I love when the crowd gets into it, really helps motivate you and makes you feel like a rockstar. One of my favorite races is the Walk for Diabetes in honor of my sister. Supporting organizations so dear to your heart is a wonderful experience!
I love this idea! It’s so great to have your family close enough that they can get together to do this as a team! I might need to plan a family event around one of these relay marathons….
I have not done a relay. Think I would want to do it with people I really know though if I were to do one. I would definitely want to go first. My nerves would get the best of me!
Wow, what a great race! I’d love to run a marathon relay someday…. Guess I’ll see if they have any coming up in the Boston area 🙂
Wow. How amazing! I would love to do something like this especially for such a cause.
That’s awesome. So proud of you all! xox
That’s so, so cool. Christian, my mom, my sister & I did the Susan G Komen 5k a couple years ago and it was so special. My mom had JUST finished her chemo & radiation the month before and I could tell that the race meant a lot to her.
Sounds like a blast! Thanks for sharing. I would love to do a relay sometime too! And I love that it was for a cause so close to your heart. The race that I’ve experienced the most crowd support was the Chicago Marathon, which is notorious for loud, large crowds over the entire route. I loved it-I didn’t get bored at all and was entertained the whole time! It definitely makes a difference!
OMG what a fantastic race, julie! i’d love to do something like this. in fact, i am looking up races right now! such a wonderful and supportive family you have 🙂 i think i would like to do a longer leg of the race as i like going the distance.
A marathon relay sounds like fun…certainly the only way I’d ever participate in a marathon (I am so not a long-distance runner, so the shortest leg would have my name all over it!). And if it’s for a great cause, all the better!
Congrats to you and the rest of the Salt Water Cure team. Sounds like you had a great day!
I ran 26.2 with Donna this weekend as well! It was a wonderful race and the supporters were amazing! I finished at 4:11:19 so I must have been right near you team! I think I remember seeing your dad! Well done to you all!
Wow so inspiring! I love races that are for a cause like this! I am sure you mom was super thankful! Great job on the race and the 39th place!
That sounds like such a great experience! I would definitely do a marathon relay, especially for a cause so close to my heart.
That’s so awesome! My cousin, family friends, and my dad did a marathon relay in Vermont 8 short months after my dad had a quadruple bypass. My dad is not a runner, so it was a HUGE deal. I jumped on and finished with him (he also was the final leg) and the picture of us crossing the finish line holding hands is so special to me. How fun for your family! Love to your Moms!
What a touching race. It is so special!
I would re-think that first picture of you and Ryan.
I think a marathon relay would be fun. I would want to go first and get the running started. It is nice to see that your dad’s arm has healed.
I am so glad you guys enjoyed it as much as I did last year. This was my first out-of-state 1/2 marathon race (I’m from CA) and it by far and away the best event for spectators and al around energy from the crowd. I would run this again in a heartbeat. Not to mention I ran the whole thing in a pink tutu which was super fun 🙂
congrats on completing the marathon relay! i’d love to do a marathon relay someday, especially one that benefits such a good cause 🙂
My dad volunteered at this race! He had a great time too! 🙂
I loved this post Julie 🙂 Congratulations to you guys on your race, and to your mama for being a survivor!!
I have tears in my eyes! What a wonderful tribute to your moms!
I’m glad you showed Ross’ “I’m running for…” bib, I ran right behind him for a good portion of his relay leg and remember seeing the bib and remarking in my mind the uniqueness Of it! Now I know who I was running behind!!
I ran the Gate River Run (15K) in Jacksonville last year with my best friend from college. I could not believe how many people were out supporting the runners with orange slices, gummy bears, rice crispy treats and even BEER!
What an amazing event with your family! I’m so glad you got to finish before the rain started!
What an awesome experience for you and your family! Congratulations on not only a successful run, but also your Mom’s continuing good health! What a way to celebrate her!
Cincinnati’s marathon, theFlying Pig, shuts down quite a few neighborhoods each May. My first experience with it was 2 years ago when some friends decided to run the relay. It was a lot of fun supporting each other! I would definitely do it again!
I would love to do a relay one day! I think that’s so neat that y’all did that for such a great cause. The last race I did that had amazing spectator support was the Rock-n-Roll run in New Orleans. The jazz bands were so much fun and everyone was dressed up and dancing as we ran by 🙂
What an amazingly awesome event!!!!!
Congratulations, Julie!! I’m so glad you had a great experience. What a wonderful family event!
I love this! Very cool idea.. My dad says the same about salt water, by the way. 🙂
If I was in a relay,I think I’d want to start it off or be the very last runner- best crowds!
I love that your whole fam was in on it- so fun!!!