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The 26.2: A View from the Starting Line at Mayo Clinic

We were at Mayo Clinic for the start of the coldest 26.2 yet. As the runners kept themselves wrapped in blankets or thermal wrap, or simply bounced about in the pre-dawn darkness to keep warm, Donna Deegan address the massive crowd with her inspiring rallying remarks just moments before the race began. She was followed by Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, and Dr. Edith Perez, each of whom spoke briefly in the cold, dark moments just before the start.

This video is a first-time effort with a different camera. After the start of the race and people began to stream through the gate, the audio and visual is a bit distracting, due to the on-site noise, and the dozens of camera flashes. We want you to feel the energy of this moment, when literally thousands surged by, out onto the city streets, over the bridges and out to the beach, through the beaches towns and back to Mayo Clinic. 26.2. Wow.

So enjoy the video, and do notice such sweet moments as when someone – who sounds like might be someone dear – calls out, “Donna! I love you,” and just as the National Anthem concluded you’ll see the sweet kiss Tim Deegan gives Donna…and then, the race is on:

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The start of this race literally took several minutes as thousands of participants streamed through the gateway, everyone getting the encouragement of the announcer and pink confetti shot into the air and drifting down like snow about them. From the first to the final, these runners worked hard to do this, and were encouraged all throughout the course by volunteers and residents.

More, starting the race:

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About the Author

Jeannie Greenwald is a freelance photographer, neighborhoods evangelist, and editor-in-chief of The Beaches Online. She is also a degreed psychologist and occasionally works as an adoption social worker for Jacksonville area families. She founded The Beaches Online, LLC, in 2011 to write about the happenings in 'the beaches' - the island-without-a-name, in Duval and St. Johns Counties, Florida. Always equipped with cameras, she roams the beaches, the string of barrier islands from Amelia to Anastasia, and also journeys inland, to the rural banks of Florida's blackwater rivers, and the pristine, freshwater springs. Jeannie's lived at the beaches for twelve years, and considers herself a common-law native. She celebrates the joy of living in a coastal community that prides itself on its beautiful beaches and strong, independent local business community.

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