It’s not everyday…

One gets mistaken as the winner of the marathon. But such was the case Monday when it happened to me…twice.

The first time I didn’t get it. Bellhop, mom and I, along with grandma, are loading up the car when a valet guy comes over to me. He looks beside himself and has a huge smile on his face.

“Did you run the marathon?” he asks.
“I sure did,” I say.
“And did you win?” he says.
“Of course!” I say and laugh.

I’m running terribly late for my 11:30 a.m. flight. It’s past 10:30 and I don’t even know where the airport is. So I’m distracted, rushing to organize my mom and grandma’s 467 bags from their shopping.

Valet guy begins pointing to the other valet guys, who begin waving. I wave back, thinking, well, I guess it’s cool I ran the marathon.

We’re trapped because cars in front and next to us are loading up their cars. The valet guys quickly move several carts with luggage, creating a path for us to exit.

I still don’t get it until I take my seat on the plane. Cowboy next to me sort of takes a few quick glances at me, I note through my peripheral vision.

“Did you run the marathon?”
"Yes,” I say.
“For just a split second, I thought you were the girl that won. She’s from Mexico and her hair is like yours,” he says.
It all clicks. I begin laughing.

I’m 90 minutes slower and 30 pounds heavier than Adriana Fernandez, of Mexico, who won with a 2:31:54 time. But now I know how it feels to win the marathon. You’re like a celeb. People rush to move mountains (or luggage carts) out the way.

That $4 tip I left the bell hop now seems a bit paltry for someone who just won thousands.

OK, so Vegas happened, Vegas was awesome and Vegas was unforgettable. What will not be staying in Vegas is just about everything that happened all weekend – tons and tons of memories and good times.

I crossed the line at 4:02:16. Did I break my goal of 4? It took awhile to reach the start but I don’t own a watch and didn’t look at the clock when I started. And the darn web site which you could access at the race kept insisting my CHIP time was 4:02 and I knew that was impossible.

After insisting I’d take it STRAIGHT TO THE TOP if those times weren’t adjusted, I finally got my answer Monday night.

Final time: 3:58:26. Hurrah!

Right after I crossed the finish line, as I’m telling my sister it’s possible I broke four, this older gentleman says “It’s going to be close. I saw you at the beginning of the race and I tried my darndest to keep up with you the whole time.”

I am flattered.
I am so going to be a pace person in future races.

Just a warning, there will be several posts coming from Vegas. You don’t have to read them all, but I’d like to record em for my own use.

But in a nutshell: I am the luckiest girl ever. Brit, Natalia, Jeff and sis were the most amazing support crew anyone could ever have. It’s impossible to describe (but maybe not for fellow runners) how much seeing someone you know at mile 3, 7, 20 and 25 means during the marathon. Jeff came into town just to cheer us on.

Fellow runners Scott and Keith offered both comfort and inspiration, as I knew that as I finished mile after mile, they were too.

When we hooked up after the race, I was saying out loud that I thought I broke four.
Keith, despite not knowing where in the wide, wide, world of sports I had lined up, confidently announces: “I think you did too.” That was endlessly reassuring.

And Scott, who looked both proud and accomplished after the race, said this: “I came in to this thinking it would be my first, and only, marathon. But around the 10K I started thinking, I could do this again.”

Yes, Scott, you sure as hell can. And if you choose to, let me know which one so I can sign up too.

And we can begin discussing the design of the new shirt.
Brit will love to hear about it.