Stockholm Marathon!!!!!!

And finally June 2nd arrived! And wow, the weather was awful. June 2 was the coldest day in June in Stockholm for the last 50 years, so it was not a good day for running a marathon. Wind and rain made the situation even worse. All those things made the 2012 ASICS Stockholm Marathon the most demanding race in the 34 years history of the race.
AND picture Andrew running for three hours (on top of the "warmup" time outside beforehand) in the cold and pouring rain, plus Andrew's mother, sister, the kids and me trying to stay warm while being the best cheerleaders ever.

The verdict is in! With a goal of completing the marathon in under 3 hours and hoping to be in the top 300, Andrew completed the marathon in 2:57:59 and crossed the finish line in 229th place!!!!! AMAZING accomplishment for his first marathon ever!

Tanya had brought bristol board and markers so that we could surprise Andrew with signs. We also had pompoms and a large horn. It was a cold rainy day but it was an exhilarating day! It was very special to know that so many people were cheering him on, particularly my mom and Uncle Fred who called as he crossed the finish line since they were tracking him at home on their computers.

It was a great celebratory dinner afterwards, at a steakhouse with incredible food and desserts. One last supper before Andrew flew to France, Penny and Tanya flew to Toronto, and I took the ferry boat with the kids back to Helsinki.

It was incredible to watch, and it was even more incredible to cheer him on with his mother and sister by my side. Congratulations on your huge accomplishment, Andrew!