Why We Ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon....

I was only a freshman in college when the Oklahoma City Tragedy occurred.  I remember sitting in my dorm watching the news as I listened in disbelief that one man could do something so horrible.

That day, I didn't know how I could help other than to pray.  I did pray.....

Heartbreaking pictures from April 1995.

And 18years later, I find myself here at that place.....running a race to remember, a race that keeps the memory of 168 innocent people alive.

Below are some pictures from the Memorial Park.   (Angel Watts took several of these beautiful pictures.)

 

This picture above is showing you one side of a wall that says 9:01, while the other side (not pictured) says 9:03.  The time 9:01 represents the moment in time when life was "normal".  The 9:03 time represents the time that live was "changed and lost".  Therefor, 9:02 was the time of the tragedy...that changed everything for Oklahoma City. 

168 Chairs on the site of where the federal building once stood

Explanation of the Field of Chairs

This picture above is a chained link fence along the outside of the wall of the memorial.  Certain items, belongings, and pictures of loved ones hung on this fence.  And what was really neat to see come Sunday after the race, were race bibs all over it.....as many family members and friends were running the race to remember a loved one.
WOW!!! The thought that came to mind often when I was running, is that there very well could have been children (who were grown up now), running this race for a parent they lost??? Heartbreaking to say the least! ****And more the reason to keep on running!

The Survivor Tree

The Survivor Tree is a very important symbol for the OKCity people.  In matter of fact, our medals we received had a picture of the tree on the back of them.  This tree is dated back to the 1920s and it SURVIVED the blast of the bombing. The Survivor Tree is a symbol of human resilience.... a tribute to renewal and rebirth, the inscription around the tree reads, “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.”

Worship Service the morning of the race at the Survivor Tree

And it was a beautiful morning to have Worship Time around the Survivor Tree just before we started the race.


What a humbling experience this weekend was!