On Sunday, October 26th, the first of three Train for Humanity pilot project events kicked off as I set out to complete the Niagara Falls Half Marathon.

The weather looked iffy heading into the race, with forecasts of wind warnings, rain, and cool temperatures, but I bundled up a set out for the start line. Fortunately, the rain didn’t materialize, the temperature was reasonable, and the wind was behind me! That, combined with a relatively flat course made for a great race.

This race was also one of the more enthusiastic ones I’ve participated in - every water station was staffed by a regional high school in full school colors, and the students were fanatical supporters. By the time I passed through the stations, some of them had screamed themselves to the point of speechlessness, but kept going anyway. Great energy like that really makes a difference when you’re starting to tire towards the end of a race, and I definitely appreciated it.

The race finishes up right beside Niagara Falls - it was quite an experience heading toward the finish line with the falls thundering down in the background. And the end result? A half marathon finished, a personal best time of 1 hour and 50 minutes for me, and a bunch of funds raised for the Darfur Peace and Development Organization. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Good luck to Mark, who’s tackling the Miami Man Triathlon on November 9th, and Leo who’ll be running the Honolulu Marathon in December. They’d love your support, too - you can still sponsor them here.