Hi Steemians, Uloggers, Runners,
Thanks for your continued support as I run all over LA on my journey to becoming a marathoner. Today was a momentous day for me. I finished my first serious running event, The 2018 Santa Monica Classic (10K).
The event was swarming with people. More than 6,000 registered runners, and thousands more friends and family. Above
photo shows the massive crowd around the race’s starting line. Madness!
The Finish
My official finishing time is 66 minutes. A new personal record, and with no major injuries! I finished towards to middle back of the pack overall and in my division. Okay for my first race, I just wanted to finish in a reasonable time without hurting myself.
Since I believe in finishing strong, and I sprinted the last 100M to the finish line. While beyond out-of-breath I managed to snap this quick selfie. Proof!
All finishers received a cool, surprisingly heavy medal.
Giving
In conjunction with finishing the race, I’ve run a charity fundraising campaign. So far I’ve raised more than $1,000. Today I donated 1/3 of the funds to a small charity called GarageScript, which focuses on teaching the community how to code (create software). There are 2 more races to come … and 2 more donations! I’m hoping to attract some new donors, too.
What’s Next
The 10k race is an important step as I practice for longer and longer distances. In January, I’ll be finishing a Half Marathon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and in March I’ll be finishing the LA marathon, thus completing the Conqur LA Challenge!