Santiago Marathon

J ran the Santiago half-marathon this morning.... unofficially!  :-)  By the time we learned about the event-- from our friend Joanna, who was signed up to run it as well as her husband--there were already no available spots to sign up.  However, he jumped in and ran anyway, carrying his own water, etc.

The route comes very near our apartment so Tulip and I went out to cheer this morning.  Here was a guy trailing a giant balloon.

There were even some dogs running the marathon.  On the other hand, this should be relatively unsurprising here in Santiago.  Apparently the stray dog problem is enough of a concern for the marathon organizers that if dogs are spotted during the race, they are taken to special contained areas (sponsored by dog food companies).  J reported that the dogs in these areas looked pretty pleased with themselves....   This guy, however, was still crushing it, slated for a half-marathon time of 1:30.  :-)

Of the three runners we were cheering for, Joanna was slated to be the first to pass so we were ready with our sign.

And here she is, here she is!!!!!  Before she came by, we had several false alarms by folks also wearing a pink Nike "Run" hat.... Congratulations, Joanna!!

After Joanna came by the runners started to really pour through and it was hard to watch for a particular person.

However, since J didn't have on a green shirt, he was somewhat easier to pick out of the crowd.  Here he comes!!

After J went by, we watched for Joanna's husband, but weren't able to pick him out of the crowd, as we didn't know what he'd be wearing.  

Right at the corner where we were camped out there was a band playing U2 covers.  It was like reliving my college years in a time capsule!  They were pretty darn good, too!

And behind us, the morning sunshine was really spectacular on the aviation fountain.