Three years ago, I started Team Galloway LI after training with Jeff Galloway for the NYC Marathon. There were approximately 12 members in the group at that time. Today, we have more than 35 members.
Dawn was one of our members and I remember the first day that we went out, she told me that she was going for radiation and chemotherapy. Happily, since then, she has beat cancer and is stronger than ever!
The Raphaelson & Levine HOPE Runs Here 5K race was the day in which she was diagnosed and it’s the day, three years later that she killed the race!
About the Raphaelson & Levine HOPE Runs Here 5K
Dawn wasn’t the only one who killed the race, Pat also had a solid PR. Christine, Kathleen, Grace, Danielle, Rachel all looked great out there. I PR’d it too. This was my first PR in a long time!
The race was a local community race but there were hundreds of people participating. Terry Bisogno was the race announcer. He did a fabulous job as always setting up the race and then announcing the runners as they came in.
Then I met Michael…
For the most part, the Raphaelson & Levine HOPE Runs Here 5K was uneventful. I stayed at a 30/15 easy pace until the last mile, when I met Michael Ogazon. I was passing Michael and then once I started to take walk breaks, he passed me.
“Come on, just run with me,” he said.
I obliged. I can run a mile without walk breaks especially on a short run like this and ran that last mile with Michael. He told me he was 78. I was so impressed with him. He was so encouraging. I was so warmed up, I could have kept going after the 3.1.
The humidity was intense and the only saving grace about the race was that it was cloudy. “Don’t you feel the wind?” Michael said to me during the mile run. “What wind? It’s completely still,” I said. He laughed.
As we were approaching the finish line of the Raphaelson & Levine HOPE Runs Here 5K, I got a burst of adrenaline. Michael and I picked up the pace and finished together. It was awesome!
When I looked at my watch, I realized that this was a 5K PR for me. It was exciting!
It was even more exciting to see Dawn finish strong! She came in under 40 minutes, which was her goal. I was so proud of her.
I was proud of all the members. Everyone came in strong. It was a great morning for a great cause.
