The Importance of Supporters and Spectators (Belated Marine Corps Marathon Thank Yous)

Last year my husband, Rick, ran the Marine Corps Marathon, which was his first marathon.  It was an exciting event for the whole family and I am very, very proud of his accomplishment.  I am also proud that he ran to support the Semper Fi Fund.  Our friends and family helped us raise $400 and I am belatedly getting around to sending out thank you cards to them.  Thank you, friends and family!   

Here is the front of the card that I designed today on Shutterfly.  I really like the "wear blue: run to remember" shirt that Rick chose to wear.  They are an organization that honors the service and sacrifice of the American Military.  There was an entire mile of the marathon devoted to the fallen and Rick says it was incredibly moving.

On the inside of the card we used a photo taken by Dickson Mercer of Run Washington Magazine. 

photo courtesy of Dickson Mercer

How were we lucky enough to get a photo from Dickson Mercer?  Through the magic of twitter, Dickson was one of the first people I started following.  I didn't really know how twitter worked (um, I still don't), but I happened to see that he was working on a story on the importance of spectators and was looking to connect with a few during the race.  We got to spend much of the race with him which was incredibly fun for Freddy & me.  I think I've re-read that story at least a dozen times.  The magic of having our day captured in Dickson's words and photos is priceless to me.  (And I can't tell you how many of my family and friends have laughed at the predictability of my having a spreadsheet with our predicted timelines for the day.)  Thank you Dickson for preserving our memories in your beautiful story.

photo courtesy of Dickson Mercer