After finishing the St. George Marathon this past Saturday Joe completed what seemed to me like an impossible goal, he completed the Utah Grand Slam. This is when you run 4 out of 5 Utah marathons in one year. The marathons that he chose to run were the Ogden Marathon in May, Utah Valley Marathon in June, Park City Marathon in August, and of coarse, the St. George Marathon in October. It was a proud moment when he was finally awarded his Grand Slam medal.
The St. George Marathon has been a tradition in my sister Terri Ballstaedt's family for the past 32 years. We have joined them for the past 3 years and have enjoyed spending time with their family. It is quite an event! Every member of their family comes to support each other. It is fun each year to see who in their family is going to participate in the marathon. It can range anywhere from those who have been training die hard all year to those who decide to run or even walk it a couple of weeks before the marathon. We were very impressed with Terri's son Smith who decided to do the marathon a few weeks ago. Just a couple of years ago he was in a very bad motorcycle accident and nearly lost his leg. He was a little sore after the run however, he seemed to be doing quite well. Rock, my brother-in-law turned 61 this year and this was his 32nd St. George Marathon. Amazing!
Because I have been so inspired by Joe and the Ballstaedts I signed up for the Runner's Series this morning. That means that if I run two St. George sponsored races in the next few months, I am guaranteed entrance into the St. George Marathon next October. I have to admit, I am terrified right now but determined nonetheless.
