by Carissa
When we first learned of the race put on by our Wilsonville Sole Sisters, Tanya, Jodi and I knew it was an event we wanted to support. Queen of the High Road is an annual half marathon held the weekend before Memorial Day in Wilsonville. The event is open to runners and walkers and has two start times: 8am and 9am.
For weeks before the event women met on Saturday mornings in Wilsonville, Sherwood and Tigard. They built up stamina and made friendships. Though I didn’t attend a Saturday training run/walk, I could tell the race was a celebration of all of those weeks spent preparing. This race was not about who crossed the finish line first.
Right about the time I was starting to wrap my head around getting ready to race a half marathon my running buddy encouraged me to throw my race ambitions aside. Becky is a Queen of the High Road veteran and one of the women who headed up the Tigard training team. She has a huge smile and a gift for encouraging others. She told me the race would have no clock, no timing chip, and no bib. What!? I wasn’t used to this kind of a race! I embraced the spirit of the day and committed to running with my friends Becky and Anne-Marie.
