Marathon Day

Last weekend was Bryan's second Chicago Marathon. Here we are after eating the traditional pre-marathon spaghetti dinner:We got up bright and early and saw the Chicago sunrise- which I have seen more this summer than ever before, due to the sharp increase in marathons/triathlons this summer....

Our two youngest spectators waiting for the train:Our three runners walking to the start: Half of our cheering squad:
The youngest cheerer:
Carolyn was very cuddly and a just wee bit crabby about having her picture taken this early in the morning:And they're off! We managed to catch Bryan and Aaron and sometimes my dad (who we missed by just a few minutes a few times) at each one of our six cheering stops- Mile 1, 4, 11, 17, 20, and 25. Here come the strollers, racing through the sea of runners, on to our next lookout spot:
As the afternoon heated up, Carolyn reminded us all that a popsicle makes everything better:
Here's Hannah, cheerful as always:
Here comes Aaron at Mile 20, ready for a high five:
And Bryan, "No time for high fives, can't you see I'm running here?!"
Here are our runners at mile 25.5- less than a mile to go!

Dad is in The Zone...
And here come Bryan and Aaron, still going strong to the finish!
Proudly sporting his medal and ice bag:
A few minutes of rest before the long trek back to the train. The spectator team was ready for a rest also- after walking approximately 8 miles around Chicago chasing these runners around! And yes, I actually added up our miles- thanks to Gmap pedometer.
So proud of this boy:
The three marathoners:
And here is sweet Carolyn, still smiling even after a long and crazy day- what a champ!