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On your mark...get set...RUN!

slogan
Adventurer C
On Sunday, April 1, a group of enthusiastic Southwest Employees woke up early to cheer on the runners participating in the Big D Texas Marathon in Dallas. Armed with pom-poms, giant foam "#1" fingers; airplane hats; and motivational signs; big-d-marathon-029.jpgour Team did its best to encourage the runners as they neared their goal of 26.2 miles. Our water station was at mile 21, big-d-marathon-004.jpgwhich was the last water stop for the marathon runners before crossing the finish line. Needless to say, most runners were very appreciative of the water, Gatorade, candy, and encouragement we provided! Just for volunteering to host the water station, we raised $300 for the SWA Employee Catastrophic Assistance Charity! Cheering for marathoners holds a special place in my heart. big-d-marathon-008.jpgI ran my first marathon in April 2004 before my 30th birthday, and I ran my second (NYC) later that year. I've since given up marathon running but have adopted cheering for marathon runners as my new favorite hobby. I'll never forget how much it meant to me to have friends, family, and countless other supporters there cheering me on! Congratulations to everyone who finished the Big D Texas Marathon...what an accomplishment!
10 Comments
blusk
Aviator C
Shelley, I don't know how enthusiastic we were at 7:00 am on a Sunday, but it was fun. Remember water up front, Gatorade (and beer!) in the back. Blog Boy
Phil_Willman
Adventurer C
What a fun time that must have been! I eagerly look forward to seeing smiling SWA faces this Saturday during the Sam's Club MS150 bike ride fundraiser. SWA is hosting a rest stop during Day One of the two-day, 150-mile "party on wheels" that raises money for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. And, this all-important rest stop falls at the 65-mile mark , 13 miles before the Day One finish at Texas Motor Speedway. We riders will sure be glad to see you (and your coolers full of water!!)! It's sure to be HOT and HUMID this weekend! UGH!
pcerda
Adventurer B
Mara-WHAT? Y'all saw me last week....the only marathon I'm interested in is Family Guy re-runs on comedy central! 26.2 MILES? Overweight and under-excercised Jedi Blog Master
Leah4
Frequent Flyer B
That's great! I have an idea. I participate in Race for the Cure every year (I don't have breast cancer, but a great grandmother of mine was a 20 plus year survivor of it, but didn't die from it; also, one of my favorite former high school teachers of mine has breast cancer) & would LUV to see SWA employees participate!
Bob_Hurst
Explorer C
Wow, Shelley! First we find out you're a "bookworm" ... now a marathon runner. This is really cutting into your image as a "party girl." :-) But seriously ... I used to do long-distance cycling ... I once rode 187 miles in one day ... and you really look forward to the food, drink, and smiling faces at those rest stops. A great SWA activity!
Eric15
Explorer A
Bob, I think it still fits Shelley as the "party girl". What better way to get all those "I'll never drink that much again" toxins out than running for mile after mile after mile. CRINGE I think the longest I ever ran was while at a place called Diego Garcia while in the Navy we had these things called Hash Runs, where we would run through jungle, beaches, swamp stuff, and finally at the end we got sprayed off by fire hoses and had San Miguel beer. (it's a beer from the Philippines that you didn't want to look to closely at since there was typically stuff floating in it. But hey it was cheap.) It was nowhere near Marathon length though. Shelley that is quite a cool accomplishment.
blusk
Aviator C
Ah Eric, Your being out in the Indian Ocean explains so much! However, Shelley is a "tough chick" and I know she could have handled that. Blog Boy
JQ
Explorer C
Marathons definitely prove to be an incredible challenge and worthy goal. My wife runs...a lot. She now trains for half marathons here in San Antonio. It is cool to see a company promote this ancient sport and even gather coworkers to support those running!
Kyle
Explorer C
I purchased two tickets. One adult and one Senior. I got a Senior discount and appreciated it. The flights were on time and the crew was great. However I couldn't get my senior boarding pass on line. So my wife got an "A" boarding pass on line and I got a "C" boarding pass at the counter. I understand the need to check the age one time, but on the return flight and future flights there should be a code or method to get both boarding passes on line so we don't have to sit in two separate sections on the aircraft.
pberg
Frequent Flyer B
Kyle Ã