sweat trickled down my face from more than two hours sitting in the blazing sun. i stood in the middle of the road, my camera ready to go, and stared intently at the trees ahead of me.

then i saw him. joe ran out, his white t-shirt slung over his shoulder and his baseball hat on backward, pumping his arm up in the air as he ran across the yellow finish line.

2:24:34.

as joe’s sister waved her “team joe” sign, he staggered toward the aid tent, grabbing water and a banana. the fact that he had just run 13 miles still hadn’t sunk in.

later, he described the race in great detail, telling me about the tree roots and rocks he had to jump over, the hills he was able to run when he thought he couldn’t go any further. the trail run was the hardest thing he’s ever done, but it’s also the one thing he’s probably the most proud of.

i’m pretty proud of him too. not only did he finish a half marathon, but he ran the entire way. he said many walked during it, and i saw one person walk across the finish line.

now, it’s on to preparing for the full marathon in november. he’ll do great.