Mamaw ran a marathon!

I'm sorry - I don't think you got how HUGE that is...  

We said... MAMAW RAN A MARATHON!

And Leslie ran a half marathon at 19 weeks pregnant!

Natalie and I flew down to Jacksonville, FL and drove up to Savannah, GA to meet Mamaw, Papaw, Leslie, Katherine, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Trudy!  The fun began right away!

Uncle Josh and G arrived the next day and we began the marathon festivities.

 

 

Yummy breakfast with Katherine

Then we headed out to the race Expo for Mamaw and Aunt Leslie to pick up their race packets

 The girls loved this Cadillac of a stroller and cruised all around enjoying the crowds and music.

They also were able to enjoy snacks as they rode.  

It is definitely quite a way to travel!

This one is for Jon: The Hot Chocolate (Milk) 15/5K! :)

 There were quite a few custom shirts for the occasion and the first were "Tweet Tweet" shirts for both Katherine and Natalie.  They even had their names on the back!

Katherine in Purple

"Tweet Tweet, I'm so sweet!"

With two, so wiggly and busy babies it was tough to get a good picture of the two of them in their shirts - this was the best I could do...

Both shirts - with a little dinner as an accent :)

The house where we stayed was beautiful and Katherine and Natalie had a great time playing together in the little school desk.  

We went out for a carbo-loaded dinner on Friday and on Saturday morning Leslie and Mamaw were ready to run! 

Saturday brought race day and the second installment of the custom shirts.  

Leslie's says "Baby on Board"
Mom's says "It isn't sweat, It's Liquid Awesome!"

 Mom had a special shirt that said "Wanda's 1st Marathon, Savannah, GA 2012" and ours said "Wanda's 26.2 Support Crew"

Front view says "Wanda's 26.2 Support Crew"

 Dad got a special shirt since he was the charter member of the "Support Crew" from the beginning of Mom's marathon training.  The back of Dad's shirt says "CAPTAIN" because he definitely was the captain of the crew. :)

Mamaw, Papaw and Nataloo!

Garrett was also a key part of the support crew on race day
He and Papaw rode the entire course with Mamaw!

That's a good looking bunch!

After Katherine finished her breakfast, she and Josh joined us at the start line.  The back of Katherine's shirt says "Run Mamaw Run!"

Les, Josh and Katherine in their shirts :)

Katherine getting some love from Mamaw

Such a sweet girl!

 While Mamaw and Leslie were running Natalie and I explored Savannah a bit.  Here is the big fountain where they would all later finish.  Natalie wanted to get in and "stomp in the water".

That's a happy girl!

Josh and I rushed (during Natalie's nap time) over to mile 21 to cheer and encourage Mamaw.  We made it just in time!

 

Here she is with Papaw right behind - making sure she had plenty of snacks and water for the rest of the race. 

It was a sunny, HOT day for a run!

 After we found her at mile 21 we rushed back, got the babies and ran to see Mamaw running to the finish!  It was so incredible to see all her hard work pay off!  She even looked beautiful after running 26.2 miles!

Mamaw with her finishers medal and congratulations flowers

Mamaw and Papaw celebrating the big finish!

 Natalie (with a little help) made a special sign just for Mamaw.  She helped me hold it up and cheer for Mamaw as she came around the final turn to the finish.  We were all so proud!

Amazing indeed!

 Here are some shots of the whole group!  We were so proud of Leslie and Mamaw.  And what a great day!

Poor Katherine had just finally given up for her nap. :)

 At some point during the celebration G snagged my camera - and I have to share the evidence...

Well hello there! :)

Uncle Ralph and Aunt Trudy were also there to celebrate!

 Its a bit of an inside joke - but here's Mamaw enjoying some delicious CHOCOLATE MILK at the finish - at Jon's recommendation! :)

Yummy!

 And on the walk back to our house - Natalie made sure she was staying hydrated as well.

Gatorade!

We couldn't be more proud of Leslie and Mamaw and a very special THANK YOU to Papaw and Garrett who spent about 6+ hours on a bicycle to make sure our runners were well fed, hydrated and encouraged.  What a great team!