We had a bit of a rough start; the dogs panicked a little at the start line as the race began—we were on the line & the crowd of people & dogs surged toward us. But true to his nature, Taylor, my little sled dog was pulling hard on his harness the whole race, practically dragging Aki & I with him. I couldn't tell what place we were in, as we picked off a couple of women. Jakob & his shiba, Hira, were just ahead of us. As we neared the end of the second lap & entered the home stretch, I saw one woman ahead and we pushed into overdrive. Passed her! But I heard a runner approaching fast—too fast for me to keep up, I knew—and we did our best to hang on. When we were passed I was very relieved to see that it was a guy. Still no idea what place we were in as we crossed the line. I was stunned when the volunteers told us we had finally done it. Our time said 6:34, and I am as skeptical about that as I am proud (not sure I've ever maintained that pace!)... but I'll take it! If only Taylor could run with me in KCCC. Pretty sure we'd be unstoppable together!
Yep, that's us in the chaos of the race start.
Here is the Art Unleashed booth, with the large metal centerpiece that Dick & I created last year:
It had rained earlier, but fortunately it held off for the duration of the event... but it started pouring again just as everyone has headed back to their cars. At first it looked like it might be a light turnout, but before long the place was PACKED with dogs!
As always, I love seeing people wearing my shirts! This one is from 2008 (featuring Aki) & may still be my favorite design yet. I saw several of the '07 & '09 shirts (featuring Taylor) too!
My favorite from the costume contest. I sure hope they won!
Liza had gotten my attention when I was lined up at the start. When I glanced to my right she was jumping up & down on the curb! I think that, and the $100 donation that my Mom contributed, helped me find the strength I needed to pull off the win. I found Liza afterwards & hung out with her & the boys, Malachi & Frodo:
We also bumped into a couple with two more sheepdogs!
Volunteer Jen K, with Frodo & Malachi:
Post-race crowd:
And just like that, another year was over... and we had raised over $72,000 for the Humane Society! Congrats to them & thanks & good job to all their volunteers!
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