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Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon Thank Yous

I have run thousands of miles training for more than a dozen marathons and half marathons in the last 6 years. Of those miles none have come to me as comfortably as the miles I ran today. I was proud and honored to run with Captain Jacob for myTeamTriumph – Wisconsin Chapter. Jacob is a wonderful young man that allowed me and two other runners to push him in a “chariot” (stroller) around the half marathon course. We started in the back of the final wave of runners and walkers and weaved our way around and through the field to finish in just under two hours. Between now and my race report post I just wanted to shout out some thank yous from this amazing event.

1. Thank you to the founders, volunteers, captains, and their families that make My Team Triumph an amazing organization. As runners we have the opportunity to assist persons with disability that might not otherwise be able to participate in and complete an endurance event.

2. Thank you to the thousands of runners on the course today that cheered for Jacob, offered him a high five or a fist bump, and called out their support for My Team Triumph. Jacob was thrilled to shout back, return your first bumps, and receive your encouragement.

3. Thank you spectators for the signs, cheers, and most importantly the COW BELL! I always love more cow bell and it was even better today to share that with Jacob.

4. Thank you to the volunteers that passed us Gatorade, Water, and Gu. Thanks to the many volunteers that dumped water on my head when my hands were full of cups for Jacob and my team mates.

5. Thank you to the neighbors that left your sprinkler running over the street. It was a hot, humid and sunny day. Temperature control (with weather adjusted pacing) was critical to our successful finish.

6. Thank you to the race organizers, start and finish area volunteers and medical personnel. The decision to close the course 2 hours and 25 minutes after the start must have been a difficult one, but it was a good decision. Note: in my race report I will write more about the weather, decision to close the course, and the demands on the medical team.

7. Thank you to my friends, old and new (Lucy, Dave, Kim, Kristin, Scott, Todd, Tyler, Jen, and many others) that shared their personal greetings to us on the course this morning.

8. Thanks to my family for their support and encouragement. It is only because of their patience that I can lace up my sneakers and go running for hours at a time.

9. Thanks to the medical team members, paid professionals and volunteers, that came to the aid of ill and injured runners this morning. It is paradoxical that in the midst of amazing feats of strength and endurance we can be confronted by the chilling scene of a runner down and unresponsive. Providing care at an MCI distributed over more than 10 miles of city streets in several communities presents a unique challenge that we can never be 100% prepared.

I actually feel a bit guilty that the miles came to me so comfortably today when so many around me were in considerable distress due to their exertion in the unseasonable heat, humidity, sun, and wind. For that I am very thankful.

More to come …

5k race report

Half Marathon race report

By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.