Tim picked us up and we headed toward the stadium which is where we parked. 
We made plans to meet with Shannon after race near finish line. (Note: do not bring any bags or backpacks to finish area. Shannon walked all the way there and had to go all the way back to car to bring it, not a close walk)
Tim and I were going to take subway to starting line but they had school busses waiting so we thought why not take the bus. It was fun seeing parts of city I haven't seen yet. Then we got to corrals and waited and waited and waited to begin. Please Imodium don't let me down ;) it was chilly but really nice. 
They were airing the race live on TV. It may be reason it started late. Finally we started out. 
I knew this would be a rough race. I bagged tim a bit prior for not training which in the end worked out since I wasn't in the best of shape at this point after being sick. We just walked/ran as best as we could. And it was tough. We tried different intervals keeping them short. Luckily the sights helped distract me. Biggest issue being slow is it takes longer and the longer it took the hotter it was getting. I didn't mind getting a bit wet for this pic :)
We finally finished. Funny looking back on the video of us crossing finish line not too many people are left. I was just happy we made it. 
And then the highlight of Tim's day, meeting the mayor of Philadelphia :) I got a selfie with him. (I don't know his name) he asked where I was from and knew mayor Byron Brown (Buffalo's Mayor)
After this we met up with Shannon who took this pic of us with our medals. I have to say I was proud of myself for completing this race. It took so much preservance, and proof having good friends at your side make it worth it.
Here's a closer look at the medal
After the race we went to get food. What else to get on Philly?!? Cheesesteaks (not for me I'm too picky) so we headed Jims on South street. Really liked this part of town. Great choice by Tim.
My cheerleader Shannon and I on South Street. 
And what would be a trip to Philly without seeing a new Rocky filming location. We hit the Italian Market. Well we drove down it, I ran out of car and got a pic and ran back in but I was thrilled 
So we headed back to the bird hotel before hitting the road to Buffalo. Can you believe I made the entire race from 5:30am- til about 3:00 pm without getting sick once. But then here we are driving to bird hotel and the stomach starts cramping and I'm faces another state of emergency. Who knew the bird hotel had a bird bathroom in the lobby? Way to go out. And we stopped about 10 more times on the way home to Buffalo. Longest car ride EVER!!! Still can't believe I was temporarily better for this race.
Special shout out to my cousin Shannon, who was so patient and nurturing and took care of me all weekend. You never once complained at my many bathroom stops, made sure I was ok and truly was there for me. This truly was a bonding experience for us. I can't wait til out next adventure. Thanks for reading
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