Going the Distance, Part 2

The race started
at 6 a.m. complete with fireworks and an Elvis
impersonator singing “Viva Las Vegas.” As I
made my way down the strip, recording everything with
my small video camera, it was most electrifying to be
in the middle of it all. There were several entertainment
stages and other festivities throughout the
route, most notably the Blue Man Group. I had a large
name tag on my chest along with my website URL, www.RunShawnnRun.com,
so people on the sidelines could cheer me on. My
all-red outfit also provoked cheers of “Go
red devil!” and “Diablo!”

I met and spoke
with a number of interesting people on the course,
sharing my experience about training with the National AIDS
Marathon Training Program for March's Los Angeles
Marathon with runners from San Francisco and
Chicago. It was delightful to see others who were
doing the same thing I'm doing -- raising money for AIDS
service organizations. I'm fund-raising for AIDS
Project Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that,
among other things, provides essential services to
people living with HIV.