This race, as well as activities at the park throughout the day, is a part of a fundraiser for the Mack Family. I don't personally know the Saratoga Springs family, but I was referred by a friend to a blog that the husband Denny has been keeping up since his wife Wendy and fourth child Maylee died in childbirth. (The mother died because of heart complications unrelated to childbirth.) Jonny and I read the accounts of the day Wendy went into pre-term labor and passed away, how Denny dealt with telling his three young children, and his feelings of loss and faith through the grieving process. We were both in tears as the sweet, honest, heart-wrenching posts helped to put things in perspective for us. Wendy had no life insurance so this fundraiser is to raise money for the funeral and other family expenses.
I kind of forgot about this race until last night. I decided I'd run it last minute. Jonny wasn't up to it this morning but he and the kids came to cheer me on. It was a smaller race, and full of families and surely lots of friends of the Mack family. (About 350 runners/walkers.) The course through Harvest Hills was not an easy one. (They don't call it Harvest Hills for nothing.) It began with on a pretty steep incline, and I was glad I opted not to push the kids. When I realized that I was one of the first 6 or 7 runners, and the first woman, I kept up a decent pace to keep my place. Yeah, it was a small race - not to many hard-core runners. But it was still fun to place first in women! Especially when Jonny, Julia, and Gabe cheered me in on the final hill to the finish line. I received a $25 Fleet Feet gift card and the kids came away with fireman hats big foam #1 hands. Having my family there meant a lot to me, as I thought about the Mack family who are so badly missing Wendy and Maylee. I'm thankful that they know the truth of the Plan of Salvation and can find peace and comfort in Christ. How else could you get through something like this?
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