This is from my sister - our mother had breast cancer before age 50 (she's still alive and kicking), and this sister herself suffers from Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (caught early). She trained for weeks for this, in the hot sun of central Illinois, and was determined to do it despite her PBC. She'd get up at 4 in the morning walk 12 or 15 miles a day.
The walk started ... (where? can't remember) and ended in Chicago.
A number of diaries lately have focused on the spirit of true giving that we celebrate and encourage. I could just feel the good mojo oozing through her story. I especially liked her description of the crossing guards ... Had to share.
The walk was AMAZING!! Yes, top 20 first day, top 10 the second - but that's not what matters. i just have long legs and am comfortable at a faster pace. they actually had this HUGE celebration when the last walker came in - inspirational music, EVERYBODY in camp clapping, raising the flag up the flagpole. there was more glory in being last than in being first. a couple times i got to the finish line and there was nobody there to clap because they weren't ready yet. :)
i spent 3 hours on saturday afternoon at the finish line clapping for the walkers coming in. so many had tears in their eyes - and not from the pain in their feet. it was fascinating to watch.
The food was great. the support along the way from people was phenomenal. the walk route was beautiful and shaded most of the time. the walkers were all so nice and supportive. i was there alone but never ate a meal alone. i'd be walking to a table and someone would ask if i was alone and invite me to sit with them. my only complaint is i couldn't take a nap after the walk because my tent was so hot, and i couldn't sleep at night because it was so cold, so the sleep deprivation made me kinda buzzed in the afternoons. but the energy seemed to appear from nowhere when it came time to walk.
We walked down michigan avenue the last day, and along the lakefront. we walked down sheridan road the first day past multi-million dollar homes. we walked through winetka and desplaines in very nice neighborhoods. there were pit stops every 2-3 miles with potties and food and medical support at every stop. there were hot showers in camp, all the food you could eat. there were free foot massages. there were crossing guards at the busy intersections - some of them were VERY cute. one crossing guard guy had a hula skirt and a coconut bikini top, one guy had fake breasts - they were both cute and fun to flirt with. there were cheering stations for families and people in the neighborhoods to come out and cheer. there were support vans that were decorated and drove by many, many times honking and cheering. it was just wonderful.
The walkers were of all shapes, sizes, ages, and sexes. there were busses to take you to the finish if you couldn't walk to the end - and no shame in that. the emphasis was on just being there, not finishing in a certain place or time. there weren't even mile markers or timers.
People wore costumes and decorated their tents. people had tshirts with loved ones' faces on them and the names of the people they were walking for. team names had references to the famale body part in question, names like 'titty titty bang bang', 'team mammo grams', 'ta-ta sisterhood'. people had tshirts with sayings on them - 'everybody likes a healthy rack', 'save second base', 'these boobs are made for walking'.
I really think next year we have to get 'team our-family-last-name' together. it would be great for us all to spend three days together and it's a free vacation, food and housing paid for. and the cause is very important. the world cares about this cause, it touches people's hearts.