Several adventurous Pacers took off for Philadelphia, PA way too early one Saturday morning.  A crew consisting of Dawn Smith, Vicki Copeland, Jim Coll, Deedre Coll,  and Kily Garcia met up with Ashley Bailey and the Fast Sisters in a cold, windy, damp Philly.  After eveyone did the expo, got some rest in the hotel, we set out for our carbo loading dinner.  At dinner, we had a minor brush with fame when we saw a member of the now broken up girl group TLC.  Credit to Lauren Fast for calling that one.  The next morning, we all woke up rested and ready to run!  We all tested our competitive spirit by staking our claim in the line for the shuttle down to the race start.  While we waited, we found out just how cold it was going to be that day.  Once at the start, we shivered and huddled in a circle to stay warm as best as we could. 

 

Finally, it was time to head to the start.  We all parted ways, except for Ashley, Lauren, and myself.  We were going to be a team for as long as we could.  Finding our inner Rocky (the race began at the steps that Rocky made famous), we took off.  For several miles, I'm sure we all battled the crowds.  We didn't know that we would soon be battling hills, more wind, and some light rain.  This race was advertised as flat and fast, but it was none of that.  I found almost as many hills as Austin. 

 

At the end of the race, despite the hills, cold, wind, and rain, we all had a great day and some PR's.  We hung out a while until we couldn't stand being frozen anymore, then all headed to see if we had what it takes to be Rocky.  We all managed to get up the endless steps and take our moment of glory at the top.  That evening, after long hot showers, naps, and talking with friends over the phone, we went out for our celebratory Philly cheesesteak.  Then we all went our separate ways for site seeing.  It was a great trip with some good times and lots of laughs.  A trip with the Pacers is always a trip to remember! 

 

James Coll, 03:25:55
Aquilino Garcia, 04:01:28
Dawn Smith, 04:06:49
Ashley Bailey, 04:09:53
Lauren Fast, 04:12:43

Vicki Copeland: 01:52:14
Jayme Fast: 02:14:54