Heroic Hearts: Kristen

My brother Sam ran the half and Kristen ran the full marathon.

Last April my sister-in-law, Kristen, received some sad news.  Her dad Mike, a retired firefighter was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.   Mike, among many other things, was an adventurous guy who loved staying active and being outdoors.  Several family members and friends decided to train and run the Long Beach Marathon on October 9th in support of Mike in his battle with cancer.  Sadly he wasn't able to see this race because a few weeks ago after a long and arduous battle with cancer Mike passed away.  

Tears at the finish line: Kristen and her mom.

It was an emotional and victorious day as "Team Mike" ran their races in their purple shirts to honor Kristen's dad.  Her mom was waiting at the finish line where they quickly learned that Kristen had not only managed to finish the marathon, but managed to finish in the Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3 hours and 37 minutes!  Quite an impressive finish. So today I want to honor my sister-in-law and all of the "Team Mike" members for their heroic hearts as they endured miles of exhaustion in the midst of their grief to honor a great man who was so deserving of such an amazing tribute. 

Mike was a hero himself!