The start of another Bloomsday. The streak is still going! 35 and counting. Love this race. Sheila and Michelle were my walking buddies.
Almost to Riverfront Park!
Before picture!
These two ladies do not look happy in this picture. They are!
And here we are at the start line! Our time to start was between 9:15 and 9:45. We started pretty close to 9:45 so we were way early! We always are. If you aren't early you miss the beach balls bouncing on your head. Who would want to miss that? Not me! Part of the tradition of Bloomsday.
So we did unknowing break a rule. It wasn't our fault. Michelle got the blue starting color and Sheila and I got the orange starting color. Well, of course we wanted to start together. That's what friends do. Blue was behind orange so we just walked up the front of the blue and got in line. Not OK we found out later. You have to walk all the way around several blocks to the back of the line. Oops. Worked out perfect. We were at the back of the orange section and the front of the blue. We saw the officials turn people away doing the same thing. We just lucked out that no one was there when we did that. You have a timing chip so it doesn't really matter where you are in the line.
My first glimpse of the tradition of the helicopter. It is hard to get a picture of it because it's small against the huge blue sky. I lucked out.
Lots of crowd pictures! Over 50,000 people. Not sure of the final count.
These are the officials that didn't catch us in our rule breaking but they did find out we did it. We weren't arrested but we came close.
Washington State Cougars!
We are starting to move!
The tradition of throwing your shirts and jackets into the trees to be donated.
Ah, there it is! The start line. I don't have to say how much this race means to me. Blessed to be able to do it!
Now that's a great helicopter picture.
We are off. OK these Miller Lite ladies had to be hot by the end of the race. Why? Why do that?
We had our usual cheering section at the Catholic church.
I think this is the only band picture I got.
Bloomsday shirts displayed. I have most of them!
OK, just saying! I took pictures of each mile marker and each one has random people in it. I wasn't going to wait until no one is standing by the sign. That would have taken forever and I had to keep my pace going. Some are blurry too but a photographer in motion gets blurry pictures sometimes.
This is no random person. Paulla! Can't believe we saw each other in all the people.
Check out all the people and this is only one small part of the crowd.
Any medical issues? These are the ladies to see!
Random person and blur!
God Bless America!
People, lots of them. Even so the race is very organized!
Fannies Pops! People really stop and buy popsicles on the course. I can't stop. Might not get going again.
I think the tutu era has run its course. No more tutus.
Sheila shared this picture with me. I didn't see this man this year. Every year carrying a cross.
This is the 1960's display.
Doomsday Hill right around the corner. This year they sold sweatshirts with the vulture on them and Doomsday Hill written on them.
It's hard to take a picture of the long Doomsday Hill. Why do they call it that? Because is it long and steep. Much steeper than the picture depicts.
Hot costumes.
Part of the Bloomies going up the hill.
I felt good about my tromp up the hill. I was concerned because I didn't feel like I was in hill shape or Bloomsday shape as much as usual because of my knee joint replacement in June. I did just fine. I was happy.
Mile 5 and I always feel like I am done after Doomsday Hill. More random people of course.
The Spokane River!
This vulture waits up at the top of the hill every year. As long as I can remember he has been there. My first Bloomsday was 1980. I could be wrong, maybe he wasn't there way back then.
Gotta be careful walking on these. Slip and slide!
On the home stretch! The emotions run high right now. Another Bloomsday completed after my miracle!
Rocky is playing and my eyes are filling with a few tears. Thank you Jesus for saving my life and that I can continue my Blooomsday runs!
Michelle and I were waiting for Sheila and I took some pictures of people finishing. I thought about doing that along the way to get pictures of the crowd but turning around, slowing down to take pictures would not make me very popular.
The shirts. I like them a lot! Lilac for the 40th Bloomsday. We are the Lilac City you know.
We did things differently this year and we liked it. We stayed in the park for a while and experienced the park party. We liked doing that. I tried to get someone's ice cream. Steve (my new friend) had two cups of ice cream sitting next to him and I thanked him for buying me ice cream. It wasn't for me. Darn! I did learn that he was from Kent and this was his first Bloomsday.
Steve took our after picture.
YUM! One of my favorites that I didn't buy.
Sheila and I got smoothies here. That was after we picked the shortest line for food and got pizza. Boy did the pizza taste good.
No beer was consumed but Sheila looks pretty good by this sign.
You could hear music throughout the whole park.
Good bye for now Bloomsday Spokane! It was a great day, with great friends, in a great city and a great event!
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