The Race

Last September Chelsea encouraged three friends and myself to run a 10KM race in Paris. Today was the day. The three friends, Chelsea and myself never ran before. The three friends all started running and love it. Chelsea started running, and I started walking.

Today Chelsea and her friend Alice ran the race in the pouring rain. The other two friends had previous commitments that they could not change. As for myself I opted not to walk the 8KM simply because I wanted to see Chelsea cross the finish line. With that said, I feel I have met the goal, I have been walking five miles a day and love it.

Thank you Chelsea for sparking our interest and making us run/walk!

Chelsea (in a green jacket) and her friend Alice (in an orange jacket) at the starting line.

The race was in the park of Bois de Boulogne, which borders Paris on the west side is 2100 acres, or two and a half times the size of Central Park in New York. The Bois de Boulogne is consider the lungs of Paris.

We took the metro, then walked about two miles to the race.

In the rain.

Cold rain.

With thousands of other crazy runners and their peeps.

It gave the word commitment to exercise a ribbon of honor to all of the 4000 plus runners and walkers that showed up.

Yann, Sacha, Mr. Espresso and myself stood in the rain, drank hot chocolate, felt our shoes become puddles as we waited to cheer our girl.

Sacha bought Chelsea running shoe at Christmas. Purple ones.

She wore them for the race.

Chelsea's friend Alice finished the race before Chelsea.

Then ran back and cheered her friend onward.

Clapping and chanting with glee, "Go Chelsea!"

It was so sweet to see.

Chelsea's friend is in the orange jacket.

Yann can be seen in an overcoat standing by the tree.

Chelsea towards the finish line.

Chelsea finished in one hour and five minutes.

The first runner to cross the finish line did it in thirty two minutes.

Those runners who crossed in the first forty five minutes were serious duds! They looked like they were running for their lives, their face contorted, saliva pouring from their mouths, a determination to beat their own personal clock, an overwhelming emotion and I was moved by such a display of evident passion, and content to be a cheerleader on the sidelines.