10. The release of a new flavor of Metamusil

9. Watching while some guy run backwards into a car

8. Getting people to take their picture at all the historical points during the race

7. Getting their race number signed by cool people

6. Breaking into the Smithsonian Merry-go-round

5. Meeting the Commandant of the Marine Corps

4. FOOD

3. The American Belles

2. Kisses on the Race Course

and the number thing the Pirañas enjoyed during their trip to DC….

1. Sightseeing while running the mall (both times!)

The morning started well for the Pirañas. In Mav and T3’s room, all four alarms they set went off. In Samsonite’s room his mommy woke up 1 minute before the alarms went off and heard both Samsonite’s and his dad’s watch beep at exactly the same time. No one knows what Obi did this morning because he has a room to himself and frankly, everyone is afraid to ask what goes on in there.

The VIP shuttle was scheduled to leave at 0530 (it is the Marine Corps Marathon after all) and everyone was downstairs and ready in plenty of time to board the bus:

Of course, nothing can be perfect, so T3 made it onto the bus with his regular glasses (and no place to leave them during the marathon) so he had to run back up to the room and just barely made it back before departure. The shuttle whisked the PIraña team to the start/finish area through the barricades that blocked the way for mere mortals and dropped them off near the start line.

Since it was still 2 hours to race time, Team Piraña walked back to the finish area where their VIP passes got them into the VIP tent complete with lit and normal bathrooms and a really great breakfast spread.

The table centerpiece was really great!

And the Pirañas got to meet and have a photo op with Miss Virginia.

Somewhere (probably in the bathroom) Mav lost his gloves. His hands were freezing, poor boy.

The time came for the team to walk back up the road to the start line. They hadn’t gone more than a few hundred feet when Mav found a glove on the ground (not his, but a glove none-the-less) and as he picked it up, someone walking the other way told him there was another down the road. So Mav ran ahead a score another glove. Turns out it was a matching pair! Further along, Samsonite noticed the stars (4 of them) on the collar of a Marine they walked by. They asked for his picture (that sounds like, “may we have a picture taken with you SIR.”)

Turns out it was General Conway, THE commandant of the Marine Corps! Now that is cool, go to run the Marine Corps Marathon and get to meet the commandant. Obi, who was not running, got to meet him later that morning.

The General told Obi, “I want to express my best wishes to the people of OKC, and the survivors and families of the Murrah bombing. I am working with the Joint Chiefs to ensure that this type of incident does not occur on US soil again.”

Team Piraña got themselves situated in the start corrals. They had decided to start with the 4 hour group and see how the day went. Their goal was to go slow and steady and protect the various injuries that have plagued the team during Summer training. While they waited for the race to start, Mav found his gloves in his pants!

Of course, they were appropriately tatted up.

Prior to the mass start they send off the wheel chair athletes. The Pirañas salute these brave individuals. They saw them all day long on the course working their way up and down the hills. They are an inspiration!

And then it was the runner’s turn. The commandant starts the race.

They fired the howitzer and the Pirañas were off.

If you have ever run with the Pirañas you know that it is a show from the beginning to the end. They sing, they talk to runners, they take polls, the tell jokes (Piraña Kimo started that), they help, encourage, banter with, and try to motivate everyone they meet. And since they were running in the nation’s capital they stopped and took a lot of pictures….

Across from a memorial (they can’t remember which)

Before they got to the Lincoln Memorial.

In front of the White House.

In front of the Washington Monument.

In front of the capital the Pirañas asked a guy to take their picture. He had the camera turned backwards and took a picture of himself instead!

They don’t know who this is, but they thank him for taking this picture.

Of course, the Pirañas continued their tradition of collecting kisses during the run. They run up to a female spectator and say, “you know it is good luck to kiss a marathoner..” and hope to get a kiss. They collected too many to count (MCM is a big race with a LOT of spectators!) Mav got denied once and T3 got a kiss from a guy.

Overall the run went well. Samsonite had some left leg issues with his ITB. Mav had someone stop right in front of him and stopping short frogged his left hamstring. T3 had some knee and hip rotator issues. But they were having fun. All good things must come to an end though, and after 26.2 miles (the last .2 is uphill!) the Pirañas finished.

The unfortunate reality of a race with 30,000 participants is that you are somewhat of a bull in a cattle shute. But after some time the Pirañas arrived at the finish photo area next to the Iwo Jima Monument.

Some more waiting in line to get food and such and the Pirañas were reunited with the rest of the crew.

The Pirañas had a great time in DC and a great time at the 33rd Marine Corp Marathon. Team Piraña ran about 4:10 which for a training run was fine. Besides, they had a really good time goofing off all along the course. Samsonite’s mom ran a PR with a chip time of 3:38. Overall a great day. The Pirañas are in the airport as this is being posted on their way back to the ones they love.