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Sunday, October 30, 2016

7/8/2016 Deeper Thoughts on Why I Love the Freep

Their is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like the crowd support and atmosphere in this race.  We've run a lot of races in both Detroit and New Orleans.  I was born and raised in NOLA.  You'd think that, given New Orleans' reputation for being a party town, a race in New Orleans would be one giant love fest.  It wasn't.  People there didn't seem to "get" what running a race at ass-o'clock on a Sunday morning was all about.  Here's the reality:  In Detroit, we know it's NOT all one big party.  We know what it's like to be down and out and we know what it's like to fight our way back.  When I run Detroit, I feel like I'm surrounded by people who are ready to go to work.  Not one runner or one spectator is out there half-assing it.  When it comes to crowd support, there's not one dead zone on the course, save the underwater mile.  You never feel like you're alone and, when the proverbial shit hits the fan, there's always some guy on the sidelines ready to pull you out of your own misery.  The Freep takes you through some areas where a lot of people wouldn't think twice about getting out of their cars on your average Sunday afternoon, but on October 16, it's the most beautiful 26.2 miles in the entire world.