While I have already run several Pennsylvania races, I have not yet encouraged a Kiva donation for any of the races already completed and I figured this race would be the best one for PA as it honors someone who makes her whole life about caring for others...my good friend Emma. (She's the one in the middle below)
Today marked one of the more special races I have ever done. Emma's husband created the Pittsburgh Emmathon in honor of Emma and for her to complete one of her goals...finishing a 10k. While this is a great accomplishment for anyone, it is much more so for Emma as she deals with extreme pain on a daily basis. Despite dealing with major recovery from a car accident and what she calls "icepick" headaches, she keeps running, and today, she finished her goal, not only of running the 10K, but of not stopping to walk once. Emma has always dedicated her life to other people and continues to do so each and every day. I am thankful to have her in my life and after years and years of being supported by Emma in all I do, it felt good to be able to encourage her in achieving a huge goal of her own.
To make things even more hard core, the race was run on a trail with patches of ice and snow in 20 degree weather! It was cool to see that even with the cold, lots of Emma's friends and family came to run. Santa even showed up!
The race started and ended at our church, and medals, finisher certificates, T-shirts, and snacks were all part of the event. Though I had to miss it, a huge brunch took place back at their house after the race. Another example of their giving spirit!
We decided the Pittsburgh Emmathon had to become a tradition, and I can't wait until next year! Neil and Emma- I love you both!
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