The picture on the right is from the starting line.  It took about 3 minutes to actually cross the starting line. The one on the left picture shows me at the beginning of the marathon...I'm the one in the center waving.  Initiailly I ran with four hour pace group.  The lady with the bunny ears was the pace group leader...However, she was a little too fast of bunny for me to follow.     

Mile 1--over the bridge. The other picture with just me is about midway through on one of the blessed downhill slopes.  I was having a lot of fun.  What they didn't get a picture of was me going up miles 14, 15, & 16--we climbed from 340 feet to 500 feet elevation during that time.  One of the pace group leaders described it as "hell-y."  It was rough, but they had amazing crowds along the way--some people had bands set up on their balconies.  Others dressed  in costumes.  I even got a high-five from a guy in a chicken suit at mile 19.

This is me towards the end.  I had just about 3/4 of a mile left to go. I started getting pretty tired at this point and slowed just about to a walk when a guy ran past and said, "You've been pullin me through these last 5 miles. You can't stop now."  That is what's so amazing about marathon running...there's such a sense of comraderie.  Your competing against yourself so you want everyone to "win." 

And this is the medal we recieved.  It was huge.  Runner's World says it is the world's largest finishers medal.