Big Run in the Little Beach Town

Sometimes Seal Beach takes my breath away.  Seeing over 6,000 runners, walkers and volunteers from the scoffolding at 1st and Marina this morning was one of those times.  From John Heidelman singing the national anthem, to the comments by Mayor Mike Levitt and some of the sponsors, it was in many ways the best of what I see in our nation.

In the media, all too often, we focus on the difficult, purile or hysterical.  Run Seal Beach brought the best of what Seal Beach means - fun, family, community, support and friendship to the fore.  Not so here in our little jewel by the sea.

Many of my friends, clients and community leaders made it to the event.  The vendor village in Eisenhower park looked amazing.  People kept telling me how much fun they had and how special the run is.  That just makes me smile.

From the finish stage, it was clear our run is now "on the map." The speed with which runners finished was nothing short of remarkable.  Pastor Tia Wildermuth told me today she couldn't believe how fast the first 10K runner came by.  She said, "I had to check my watch a couple of times when I saw the police ahead of the lead runner. I couldn't believe how quickly he came up and flew by me."  The 5K runners who won overall for men and women were both Adidas Legacy sponsored.

Congratulations to all those who participated and made the event such a roaring triumph.  Also, if you see Marc Loopesko & Elizabeth Kane, be sure to tell them what a great job they did. They are the glue that holds the entire thing together.