Marvin V. Acuna

My hope is that this note has found all of you warm, safe, and with the people you love!

Thank you for all your support. What an amazing experience!!!!

I left my hotel room at 315am. Walked 2 miles to the starting line. Just as the fireworks kicked off at 5am to start the run…it rained so hard one could barely see the runner in front of them. This rain kept going for about 6 miles. In fact, I had no idea I was at mile 6. Frankly, the rain, the number of runners (27, 289 to be exact), the build up to this incredible day was so overwhelming that it almost felt as if I had arrived at mile 6 within minutes of starting. Crazy!

A few magical moments that I’ll share:

1.  Just as I was approaching 2 hours of running. I witnessed runner Ambesse Tolossa of Ethiopia literally glide past me on the opposite lane. He was moments away from finishing the marathon. It was an awesome sight. Humans truly have no limits. A cheer erupted from the runners..it was deafening and unbelievably inspiring!

2.  As I crossed the 15^th mile the Sun was out in its full glory and as I took a moment to take in the experience…I was moved by the beauty of the Ocean waves playfully dancing with the surfers off in the distance. It was as if on cue a line of surfers leaped to their feet atop an enormous wave to salute the runners.

3.  At mile 19 my left leg was really giving me some trouble. Frankly, trouble may be an understatement. A quick aside: (The morning prior to the run I had met a lovely woman who was there to honor her husband. She was volunteering during the Marathon. Her husband had completed 6 out of 7 marathons. Her husband, Art Godinas, died April 2007. He was 79. He ran his first marathon when he was 72. I told her that I would run and cross the finish line in his name). Back to the moment. As I said my leg was really challenging me. I spoke out the following words, “Art Godinas, I need your help. Please help me..”. Believe it or not. A Japanese man, who barely spoke English, slid up next to me a beat later and literally gave me his Ipod. He held the headphones to my ear. (I don’t use any devices when I run. I just repeat my mantra over and over again in my head). I placed the earphones on and the coolest, most hypnotic sounds roared into my head. He simply ran by my side. I must tell you. Happiness never felt so good! At mile 21 I handed back the Ipod, nodded with a smile and said… Arigatou.

4.  At mile 25 I met Mark. He asked me what I planned on eating when I finished and then said, I’m Mark. Though we only shared 1.2 miles together. It felt as if we had run the entire marathon together. It was his first. My first. His legs were done. Mine were done. I explained to him that it felt as if an electrical storm was taking placing in my body. He knew what I meant. We finished. We cried out, “Art Godinas, Marathon complete!” A huge embrace. Like brothers. Powerful!

I spent the rest of the week meeting all kinds of wonderful and interesting people, learning all about the rich history of Honolulu, and just enjoying the beauty and energy of the city. I took a trip out to the north shore and swam with sharks! Yep, sharks! We only live once folks.

Needless to say this has been an extraordinary journey. Thanks for coming along with me.

I will leave you with this..

Life Lesson: When you Give, you get so much more back!

Final Week: 26.2 logged.

Total Running Mileage: 507 J

My deepest gratitude and appreciation and…..

May Your Life be Extraordinary

Time flies when you are having a blast.

I ran that Disney ½ Marathon, what a blast. A challenge, but a blast!

Here’s a recap:

Starting Line:

Mickey and Minnie sent us off with a huge firework display.

The 13.1mile maze begins:

Mile 1 thru 5 led us through the Disney and California Adventure Theme Parks.  Every Disney character conceived greeted and cheered us on!

Mile 6 thru 9 led us through the city streets of Anaheim. High school bands and cheerleading squads roared at every mile marker.

Mile 10 led us through Angel Stadium. Our mugs were splashed across the monster screen as the announcer’s booth called out random names and runner numbers.

Mile 11 thru 12 led us to the main entrance of the Disney gates. It felt as if a parade was in full swing. It truly felt like thousands of people were lined up like at the Thanks Giving parades simply calling out runner names and cheering us on.

Mile 13.1  led us through Disney’s downtown Disney and finally to what felt like a red carpet premiere. Cameras and news crews flashing everywhere.

At times it felt as if I was running on the actual Sun and I was a tad sore starting at mile 10  I remained sore the remainder of the day and the next day. But, I rec’d a very cool, I say very cool medal and a lifetime of memories.

Life Lesson: No matter what keep moving forward!

Week Number 20-24: 95 logged. 36 miles during the week(s), 13.1 Half Marathon, and 29 miles on Saturday(s).

Total Running Mileage: 425.8 J

Thanks again to all of you.