Finished!!

I did it! 

I am a BOSTON MARATHONER!

Yesterday, I crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon after 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 43 seconds of running!! It was the most exciting, exhilarating, and inspiring run of my entire life.

But more important than the run, I have raised $6,682 for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and this amazing foundation. I could feel Abbie pushing me along my run and I know she was smiling down. It has been an amazing experience to run in honor of such an amazing girl. I miss Abbie every day and I wish that she was here to cheer me on, but I know she was cheering and smiling down for me, louder than anyone else.

The run on Monday wasn't perfect weather and required some quick outfit changes in an attempt to stay warm and dry- a hat, long sleeve, and gloves. But it didn't really work! By the end of the race I was absolutely soaked and freezing cold! I was very appreciative of the heat shield blankets at the finish line and a warm car ride home!

I wasn't the only one drenched from the run, though. My closest family followed me the entire race and were just as soaked as I was by Boston! Team Keep Smilin' was at the start, mile 16, mile 20, and the finish! Thank you to my parents, sisters, the Benfords, Alex, and the Cohens for chasing me the whole way and giving me the greatest hugs at the finish line. You were the best support team, before, during, and after the race.

Check out this AWESOME video of me just before crossing the finish line!

Watch Here!

Along the run, I ran in to lots of supportive friends. It was so exciting to search out for them on the sidelines and flash them huge smiles as I passed. The rain scared away a lot of spectators, so it wasn't as loud as a sunny marathon day, but I took full advantage of the celebrity status. When the crowds weren't cheering for me, I cheered at them! And when they didn't have their hand out for a high five, I reached out mine! I fed off the crowds energy during the hardest parts of the run. (And shout out to the students at BC- you were totally the most energetic supporters along the course!) Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to support me and all the other runners on the course!

I can't stop raving about my marathon experience. I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me in my training, fundraising, and final marathon run. Without everyone's help, I never would have been able to finish. It wasn't just my Boston Marathon, it was our Boston Marathon.

Team Keep Smilin' on Marathon Monday

Supporting Keep Smilin 4 Abbie has been a life changing experience. I am so proud to have run for Abbie and spread her smile. If you would still like to donate, please visit my fundraising link here. And please continue to follow keepsmilin4abbie.org  to learn about all the amazing, life changing things they are doing in honor of Abbie.

As always,

Keep Smilin