The Little Rock, AR Marathon - a must run!

Little Rock, AR Marathon Report!      Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors, On March 6th I ran the Little Rock, AR marathon and crossed off State #22 and Marathon #31 on my quest to run a marathon in every state and on every continent in order to bring attention to and raise money for 5 vital Alexandria-based charities serving the at-risk in our community.  Spring had begun in Little Rock; the Redbuds had begun to bloom and the daffodils were up.  the starting line

a lululemon athletica and Pacers Ambassador  Running marathons in all  7 Continents, each of the 50 States, and the 5 World Marathon Majors  (a marathon a month) Distressed  for my struggling neighbors, I decided to do something.  And so I did...  As a long-time  marathoner who was tired of running solely for time, I 'laced up my shoes' and committed to running the world on their behalf.  To raise awareness and funds for 5 key charities that serve them: Child and Family Network Centers  Community Lodgings The Reading Connection Girls on the Run, NoVA ACTion Alexandria  RunningBrooke Sponsors Supporting the Community (Donating 1K a year for the next 5 years to The RunningBrooke Fund.) ASAP Printing Bonitt Builders MacNair Travel Mark G Anderson Consultants  McGinn Investments McLaughlin/Ryder Investments  Pacers Event/A Division of Pacers Running Stores  Sean McEnearney - McEnearney and Associates  TJ Fannon and Sons Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon Make a difference, become a Sponsor! RunningBrooke and Bart Yasso at Little Rock expo Join the Running Fun! National 1/2 or National Marathon Saturday, March 26th Special Discount Codes: 11rbhalf (1/2 marathon)  11rbfull (marathon) Click HERE for detalis   hurry, Charity Registration ends soon       Cherry Blossom   10 Miler Sunday, April 3rd only ONE entry left! EMAIL me to learn more about this fantastic April race under the Cherry Blossoms and by the Monuments! Want to help but don't want to run...? Time and Donations are happily accepted!   Always 100% tax deductible and always, 100% of your donation goes to those who need it. (I pay my own travel costs and associated fees.)

Arkansas, Native American for "south wind," and nicknamed The Natural State, has over 600,000 acres of lakes, 9,700 miles of streams and rivers and over 2.6 million acres of national forests. Factoid.  Our nation's oldest national park (Hot Springs) is in Arkansas.    It is a place with stories; tales of Native Americans, Pioneers, Civil War battles, oil and diamonds, Blues and Mountain music.  The home state of former President Bill Clinton but also the land of historic Civil Rights struggles: The Trail of Tears -- forced relocation of south-eastern Native Americans made to walk from their homeland westward (across the entire state of Arkansas) on their way to "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma.  The Internment Camps -- involuntary relocation of Japanese-Americans from across the US during WWII. Two sites, now memorials, are in Arkansas .  The Little Rock Nine -- escorted by the military, nine African-Americans enroll at Little Rock Central High School in 1957.  And so without further ado:  the Capital  The Good  The Marathon.  1,814 marathoners (plus 1/2 marathons and 1st-leg re-layers) lined up for the 8AM race start.  It was a perfect day.  Overcast with a starting temperature in the mid-thirties.  'Music Belt' Ken (remember him from Jackson and New Orleans?) and I stayed warm in the Peabody lobby (yup, mallards in that fountain too) until 7:45; walked to the race start, corralled up and went.  The course took us past the Clinton Library, through the city and by the capital,  before leading us out into the suburbs.  This is where the race got even better.  We ran past Little Rock Central High School (combo of Art Deco and Gothic and massive in size), past the Governor's Mansion (Governor and staff out front waving to us!) and finished the last 6 miles along the Arkansas River.  Double-thumbs-up to the Race Director for a great tour! The Marathon.  This isn't a typo.  I felt so obnoxiously good during the race that I probably bothered other runners.  Came in 8 minutes faster than New Orleans (easier course) and BQ'd (Boston Qualified) under the new, faster time limits.   What did I do differently between these two races that I hadn't done before?  I worked on my flexibility.  Check out this video (painfully unedited, sorry).   Phil Wharton talks to The RunningBrooke Racers  The Marathon's Finisher's Medal.  It's the reason I decided to run this race (should I admit this?) 5'' x 8'' with complete with spinning globe   The Clinton Presidential Library.  Located along the Arkansas River in the heart of the River Market District, this library is a must see. It's packed with the largest collection of presidential papers and artifacts in U.S. history, and houses authentic replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room.  I took Bill's narrated tour chronicling American history during his presidency.   Bill's Limo  The Historic Arkansas Museum.  Two hundred years of Arkansan paintings, furniture, silver, textiles and firearms.  The Bad   No Direct Flights.  There is no way to get from National to Little Rock without changing planes.  I had to fly by way of Chicago out, and Atlanta back. The Tragedy lululemon athletica. The lululemon community (I am an ambassador) is suffering greatly.  At the Bethesda store last Friday night, two educators (employees) were violently assaulted during a robbery attempt.  One lost her life.  Please keep them in your thoughts.  The Upcoming *New to the marathon schedule, another double! National Marathon (Washington, DC) on Saturday, March 26th.  The RunningBrooke Racers, team #1, have been training and raising money for The RunningBrooke Fund.  Super-excited to be a helping them reach their running goal and having their help in making a difference.  *I'll have a booth at the National Expo (Armory, Fri. 3/25).  Stop by and say hello!  The Ocean Drive Marathon (over 4 bridges finishing in Cape May) on Sunday, March 27th.  Knocking off another state and seeing some friends too. Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (Washington DC) on Sunday, April 3rd.  RunningBrooke Racers, team #2, will challenge themselves in this fun and fast course by the monuments and under the cherry blossoms.  Keep up the good work and thanks for your help! Big Bash planned for June.  Stay tuned...  Spring is here and it's an exciting time for runners.  One of my Sponsors, Pacer Events, puts on some great local races.  Fresh, Exciting, Innovative.  Take a  LOOK, see what fits into your schedule and get out there! That's it. Cheers-  Brooke