Thank you everyone!

It was such a privilege to be a part of this event. Thank you for coming up with such a great idea and for having the vision to make it happen. You've touched so many people - especially those who contributed in some way.

I first heard about the flag run in early October. Later, I read that it was coming through my town and I knew I had to participate. It didn't matter that it was coming through the area in the middle of the night or that I was still hobbling from an ultra marathon days earlier - I knew this was going to be special. And indeed it was.

Still jumping from the Arizona Diamondbacks' victory parade earlier that day, I tried to get a couple hours sleep before getting up at 1am. When I arrived at the east Mesa staging area, there were just a few people and a news crew. After a few minutes we saw the flag arriving - the same one that had been carried for nearly four weeks and 3,000 miles. It was followed closely by a crowd of runners and a caravan of vehicles.

The convoy paused for a few minutes to get new runners including some die-hards who were continuing their journey from the last staging area. After a quick news interview, we were off and running. I was among about a dozen runners and we were accompanied by police cars the entire way (and running red lights).

What a friendly group of runners. Rob the pilot, Gerald, flasher, and Rick who just arrived from Hong Kong. Hello all.

I've run in about a hundred races but this run was of course different. Instead of competing, we were all on the same side with a common purpose. And although we weren't racing per se, we were making great time. In fact, the coordinator in the van had to loud-speaker us a few times to slow down. We were probably just excited to be running in the cool, night air since we've had record high temps here lately.

The flag we were carrying was fairly lightweight - at first. In fact, as we passed it around during the run, the first-time carriers tended to pick up the pace. It was no different when the uniformed Mesa Police Officer took the flag, and the lead. All that jangling of his belt accessories didn't seem to slow him any.

It was so neat to see such support from the police and fire department. A Tempe fire fighter carried the flag for a few miles and spread out the pack with his speed.

Since this was the middle of the night, we only saw a few pedestrians along the way. Each one offered up some form of encouragement. We handed them the flag and they ran a few steps with us as a show of support and patriotism. We also collected a few volunteers along the way. Cathy, who was delivering newspapers, decided her route could wait and joined the fun. One volunteer went ahead and poured gatorade into a few cups and lined them up for us along the curb. A few family members of the runners cheered and took pictures as we passed. (Sometimes their camera flashes didn't work.) I even noticed the same people a few times over the miles.

Before the run, I had decided to go only 8 miles and then head back. But the magic of the pack took over and I was feeling just great. Didn't need to stop and certainly didn't want to. I was having a great time with everyone. We talked about flying, running, and food. Of course, no one forgot why we were doing this. I noticed as each person carried the flag (and the memorial stick), they were humbled and focused.

We were about 16 miles into the run as we passed Arizona State's Gammage Center. Since we were approaching the next staging area, we paused to catch our breath so we could arrive en masse and looking strong. There were only a few people there though - seems we just couldn't slow down enough and were quite a bit ahead of schedule.

After 3 hours of running, it didn't feel too good kneeling for that group photo. And getting back up was even trickier. Especially since we had to hold the pose during a film reload. ;) I was feeling hungry and chilled. A volunteer handed out bananas which was much appreciated. (Thank you Elizabeth. I just read your story.)

But we weren't quite done yet. How could I come this far and not make it over the Mill Avenue bridge with its string of lights. Somehow I overcame the cold and the hobbling and made it over the bridge with renewed strength. I really hated to stop at Washington. I started rethinking it: 'okay, the state capitol's only about 10 more miles.' But I knew I'd still feel unfinished if I stopped there. Better let common sense and a fresh group take over. And if I turn back now, I can get a couple hours sleep before work.

So Rob and I got a ride from our generous and greatly appreciated volunteer, Cathy, back to our cars 17 miles away. What a great person to join in on the spur of the moment and do that for us. Thank you.

On my drive home, I was amazed at how exciting the whole thing was; and how good I felt considering I just ran 2/3 of a marathon at a time when I'm normally asleep. Although I could barely sleep, I got up and made it to work and went right to the flagrun website. 'Let's see. If I fly to LA on Sunday morning, I could take a cab to meet them a few miles out and join them to the finish.'

Well it's Saturday night and I still feel the urge to go to LA. We'll see.

Thanks again for your vision in creating such a special event. I am proud and humbled to be a part of it.

Sincerely,

Russ Noble
Gilbert, Arizona, USA

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