The start of the race.
In January 2009 I went to the first Cellcom training run and as you might imagine it was cold. I met Joe Lamers at this run. He is from Appleton WI and had just stated running a few months prior and made a commitment to run a half marathon in 2009. This was the start of serious training and he was a novice at long distance running. Over then next several months I saw Joe improve and grow as a runner and our friendship blossomed.
Fast forward to race day on May 17, 2009. Joe and I hadn't seen each other or exchanged e-mails for 3 or 4 weeks. My running partner and I lined up at the starting line with the other 10,000 runners and guess who was right next to us? Yep, it was Joe. Thus begins the human interest story.
Joe was excited, nervous, and pumped. Here is what he told us before the race began. On Saturday (the day before the race) he was on the East Coast. His flight to Green Bay ended up being canceled but there was no way that Joe was going to miss the run that he had trained for 5 months. He caught a flight into Minneapolis MN (a five hour drive from Green Bay), rented a car, and drove through the night - arriving in Green Bay a few hours before the race. This is when we saw him.
Below is his e-mail to me describing his race.
Yes, I did the race under 2 hours and just about died. I was on my 8 minute per mile mark at 7 miles. I then hit "THE WALL" and everything was going so bad. My feet were going so numb that I could hardly walk. My biggest problem was I could not get air. My heart rate was fine, but no air. I had cramps, numb feet, over heating with jacket and no air. I had to pee for the first time ever while running. At mile mark 8 I peed and dropped jacket.
Then at mile mark 11 I sat on grass and loosened my shoe laces. I laid down and start to cry. I was getting taken over by emotions. It was then that I decided that the race was not going to end this way! I did not train all this time and drive across the state all night for it to end this way. If I didn't get up and run like hell I never would make it under 2 hours.
I thanked God for this opportunity and got up and ran like HELL! I thanked all the people who got me this far (you were one of them) and focused on a spot ahead and reeled it in. Then I hit the spot and picked another and another and another and another. At one point I realized that I was talking and yelling out loud. People around me must have thought I was crazy!! Others started helping me reel in spot after spot.
Half way through Lambeau Field where the fans where screaming I started to run faster and faster. Just before I crossed the finish line I could see the clock reading 1:XX . I had no idea of the time I had finished but I knew it was under two hours!
And to make this even more incredible Joe told me that 3 1/2 years ago he could not even ride a bike due to spinal problems!
I find his story inspiring and hope you do as well.
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