Julia the humanitarian

I did it. I ran the race. I came in 644th! Woo! Whatever, it was out of 1300, so suck it.
I'd like to say I found the experience emotional or something but it turned out to be pretty anti-climactic. I got there bright and early at 7ish with Butthole (He's the best, he got up at 6 on Saturday for me!) and walked over to the race site. It's was slightly windy and pretty darn cold!
There were freebies galore (who knew?) and I snuck a few random things: a mug, a key-chain, two of those cheap backpacks with the string straps, a pedometer (I know! Right?), and a little padded pouch with a strap to hang around my neck which will be awesome to stuff my keys and MP3 player on future runs. There was a ton of other stuff but I always feel a little bad about free stuff for some reason so I don't grab everything I could (darn it!).
We spent about 20 minutes trying to find the place to go exchange my shirt because the size I ordered was too big for my comfort. I've gotta say: I did not like the way the event was organized, that is to say, not at all! The volunteers mostly didn't know anything and the important booths such as registration/donation sites/t-shirts were TOTALLY hidden and there were no signs to point you in the right direction. It took us a while to find the starting line, too.
The run was fine. The crowd was HUGE! There were people of every age, shape and size. Men and women running with strollers, a couple of people running with dogs, and little kids. At one point I heard people behind me barking "Woo woo" (think deep barking sort of sounds) noises and suddenly got passed my Batman and a gorilla. I laughed, literally, out loud. I wish I'd have kept the camera at that point. Seriously, a guy running dressed up as batman, with a cape and everything, and a guy behind him running in a gorilla suit. Behind me you could hear "Gosh! That must be HOT!!!" It was great. There were lots of "In Memory of" signs on people's backs, and lots of pictures of loved ones, too. Those were moving. I thought of everyone who lost the battle and everyone who's fighting it and I didn't let myself get tired. Close to the finish line there was a group of little cheerleaders doing cartwheels and cheering. I mean little as in little girls, they must have been aged 5-7. So adorable! There were water stations through out and people on the streets cheering and watching.
Butthole almost didn't see me at the finish line!! I was running and saw him standing there looking through the crowd and he looked right over me! I had to yell "Butthole!" in order for him to find me. He ran with me and then ran ahead to be able to get a picture and then he ran with me to the finish line. I wish they'd had more room! I hated having to stop so abruptly.
We walked around a bit more so my muscles could cool off. I didn't stay for the closing ceremony, sadly, but it wasn't til 2 hours later and there really wasn't much to do til then.
Overall, as much as it wasn't some sort of inspiring experience for me I'm definitely going to do it again next year. It's all for a good cause and that's all that matters. Plus Butthole said it looked like a lot of fun and he wants to try it out next year so who knows, maybe next year I'll be one of the cool people with a team to run with!