COTTER VICTORY ARCH EXPEDITION!

I had the wonderful blessing of participating, for the 18th year in a row, in an event called the White River Marathon for Kenya, ( www.whiterivermarathon.com ), and I was an entry in the 5K division:

The race started near the high school in Cotter, Arkansas, and an electronic device was set up to record those who started:

The race director held a small USA flag while a talented vocalist sang the national anthem, followed by a prayer, spoken by pastor David Johnson.

For the last several years, I have sought out the Johnsons at the race so we could get a picture together, which has become a pre-Thanksgiving tradition, since the race is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving:

After the start , the runners are pictured "fleeing" the starting line and heading for the highway intersection.  I was able to photograph their start, because the 5K started after the marathon runners start:

I was not participating in this event to get a first or second or third place prize:  Rather, I was participating to show my gratitude for being able to walk at my age; so, I decided to enjoy the journey, by photographing some of the pretty fall colors I saw along the trail:

The date for the 2022 event is Saturday, November 19, so start your training now, so you will have a measurable goal, to work toward!

For those who do not know, "5K" stands for five kilometers, and is the equivalent of 3.2 miles.  In contrast, a marathon is 26.2 miles. 

Here is a photo of a remarkable woman, (Karen S), that I originally met in my First Place 4 Health class.  It has been inspiring to watch her journey toward better health, and this was her first time to participate in a 5K event!

The race advertised that it would have the world's largest victory arch, because finishers would go under the arch of the historic bridge at Cotter, Arkansas. 

 

 

I wanted to make sure I got a photo of this concrete"victory arch", because this is the site where my parents had their first "date" ( a Lead Hill school field trip), back in the 1930's. 

After I finished the race, my insurance agent, who lives in Harrison, came up to congratulate me (he had finished a long time before me!)

Later, I was able to get a photo of him, his wife, and son.  What a joyous occasion to have your family be your running mates!

When you have completed the race, you get to look at the activities beyond the finish line:

One of the first things you receive on the other side of the finish line is your necklace medallion to signify you completed the event:

If you were designing a "victory arch" to signify what you are striving for in this life, what words would you write on your finish line?  I started meditating on this question, as I was trying to learn one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness."  I Timothy 6:11

 A company that manufactures inflatable arches drew up this model of an arch that illustrates what our memory verse says we should pursue:  righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

I want to flee from the bad things listed in first Timothy, and instead pursue the qualities shown on this First Place 4 Health victory arch:.  Doing so will give me "Miles of heavenly smiles"!  Tricia