mom's story
Charlotte was an amazing city. It was a little rough CouchSurfing with 5 different people in 8 days, but everyone was really great. I wanna thank Chris, John, and Rich, Stephen, Jeremy, Rob and Sassha, and Ryan all for letting me crash on their couches and helping me get around the town. The week started out really well, getting lots of support from local businesses and restaurants. Olive Garden, Red Robin, Sticky Fingers, and TGI Fridays all were kind enough to donate gift cards to help reduce my food budget. Several local businesses area also looking into what they can do for sponsorships. My only real blip on the week was trying to go to my race on Saturday, when it was on Sunday. I asked the security guards where the race was and they responded, “The race this week is up in Tennessee,” referring to the Spring Cup and Nationwide events in Bristol. I said no the 5k, and they said “Oh that’s tomorrow. You’re a bit early for that race.”
When I finally got to the race, everything went really well. The Young Life 5k was run on Charlotte Motor Speedway, formally known as Lowe’s Motor Speedway. There were over 300 runners, and a few hundred spectators. Running on the track was an experience I wont soon forget, though not the most comfortable surface, one of the more fun courses. I did run my fastest 5k, 21:47, and placed 33rd out of 323 runners. Lots of people took information and donated in person.
Later in the evening I met up with Michigan State alumni up at their local bar, Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, to watch MSU vs. Maryland. The game was stressful for all the MSU alum, but they were all very friendly and generous to donate last minute. I hope that Tampa/St. Pete is just as great with MSU now playing another weekend in the NCAA tournament.
More Charlotte photos are available at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43838&id=172123116132894
