We arrived at the race, as I parked the car and unloaded my kids’ double stroller, I saw a woman wearing a race number and pushing a baby stroller. As she walked by, I overheard her talking to her child. She leaned over and said, “Happy birthday baby.” I thought, wow, it must be the child’s first or second birthday. Then she said, “Happy two month birthday.” I got my children settled into a spot so we could cheer when their dad crossed the finish line. The kids were excited, holding up their handmade signs with pride as we waited at the finish. Everyone around us was cheering on all of the runners as they began to cross the finish line. We could not help but get caught up in the moment. It was very emotional and deeply inspiring. Everyone was celebrating and cheering for all the runners who have just completed a 26.2 mile course. I found myself thinking, “What, 26.2 miles!” Over the half hour that we stood there, we witnessed hundreds of runners crossing the finish line. The runners were different, ages, genders, sizes, and body types but they had at least one thing in common: they had persisted through all the challenges to succeed in meeting their goal. No matter how much time it took to finish the marathon, they had accomplished something major! Their sense of pride was palpable. Each of the runners had earned their moment. Their weight, age, gender, and possible obstacles were simply background to their achievement, despite the impediments; those runners had finished a 26.2 mile marathon! Two runners stood out to me. One of the runners was a man who looked to be in his late 60’s and the other was a heavy-set woman who crossed the line shortly after the older man. Each of them ran across the finish line to the clapping and cheers of the crowd. I could see the pride on their faces when it hit them — they had done it! They crossed the line, looked at the clock, and the older gentleman waved back at the crowd while the woman gave a celebratory hug to a spectator.