She won!

I heard the text ping as Mike and I headed into the second mile of the Shamrock Run in Richmond, VA.  Although I didn’t look at the message then, I was pretty sure I knew what it would say. When Amelia ran back to us from the direction of the finish line she confirmed what I had quietly been anticipating.  She was the first female finisher!

We had known that Richmond would be the site of our Virginia race ever since our niece, Annie, moved there a few years ago. When we chose this race in late January, Amelia signed up for the race, as well, and Hannah and Todd signed on for the trip. Having run the majority of our quest races on our own, it was such a treat to have Amelia’s husband, Matt, Hannah and Todd, and Annie and Sam braving the chilly temperatures and cheering us on.

Having personal photographers was an added bonus. Annie snapped this shot of Amelia at the start.

And Hannah captured this photo as Amelia zoomed to a win and PR finish. I love the outline of her shadow.

Amelia had been putting in the miles and hard workouts to attempt a PR.  We were thrilled that she had accomplished her goal and that we were all able to celebrate with her.

My winter training was decidedly less stellar but we had a good run and were pleased with our finishing time.  I even ended up with third place in my new age-group.

Hannah took this photo of Mike and me finishing. We’ve decided she should always come along.  We love her company and she took one of my best finish line photos.  Plus having her take pictures alleviates the need for our signature awkward post-race selfie.

We were a bit dismayed to hear the announcement at the starting line that they wouldn’t be holding an awards ceremony after the race as they had advertised on their website. They had also promoted post-race live music at the brewery.  That didn’t happen either. But since we had our own enthusiastic crew to celebrate with we toasted Amelia’s win and enjoyed having the opportunity to share our race experience with family and friends.

We had plenty of time for other fun throughout the weekend. Annie and Sam provided outstanding hospitality and expertly steered us to one perfect restaurant or activity after another.

Lunch at Union Market,

fabulous ice cream at Charm School,

cocktails at  the Quirk Hotel

and dinner at Vagabond on Saturday topped off with a leisurely visit to Carytown on Sunday provided us with a well-rounded sampling of some of Richmond’s delights.

Sure, venturing to unfamiliar locations, exploring the local venues, and chatting with strangers on our own has resulted in many memorable adventures on our quest. But having the opportunity to spend the weekend with people we know and love and celebrate Amelia’s win truly made completing our 28th state race awesome.

State: Virginia

Quest Race Number: 28

Date Run: March 12, 2017

The Bottom Line: Running a race accompanied by family and friends is something we hope will happen again.  With 22 states left on our quest list there should be plenty of opportunity for more festivities, great photos, and fast finishes.