As promised, some of my Hamline Cross Country teammates and I cheered on the 29th Annual Twin Cities Marathon and 10-miler. It was basically the same thing we do when cheering on cross country meets-running from point to point, getting nervous as you wait for your team mates, screaming and yelling for the ten seconds or so while they pass, and then sprinting off to the next cheering spot-only in a car instead of on foot, and on a much larger scale.

(L-R) Anne Marie, Michelle, Amber, Me, Freya (3:25 first Marathon!) and Hannah

I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun that early in the morning, although I did feel a tad bit insane standing on the Franklin Bridge in Minneapolis at 7am in the freezing cold holding a big poster with glitter and neon block letters. The first time we cheered for our Assistant Coach Laura Roach in the 10-miler she looked like she was pretending she didn’t know us, but she claims that’s just her “race face.”

As we went through countless orange/almost red stop lights, tried to pick our way through alleys and back streets, and parked in somewhat questionable places, the group of us reflected on how there was no way we could have done this in a city we didn’t know by heart. About a year and a half ago I didn’t know that Saint Paul was on the east side of the Mississippi River and Minneapolis (for the most part) was on the west side, but now the cities feel like a second home to me, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.

I could write so much more just about the Marathon, let alone the lip sync competition and other homecoming week festivities, but for now it’s time to head off to class.

That’s all for now,

Claire