• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about
  • Pug Partners
  • contact/pr
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Runs With Pugs

ok, the pugs don't run, but we do

  • race reports
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Link Ups
  • instagram Landing Page

The Latest

a much more relaxed week

5 sources of mental clutter

my spring race plans

You are here: Home / Uncategorized / hakuna matatas at the 26.2 with DONNA relay

hakuna matatas at the 26.2 with DONNA relay

March 21, 2018      7 Comments

On Sunday, February 11, five women banded together under the team name “Hakuna Matatas” to run 26.2 miles to help in the fight against breast cancer.

The 26.2 with DONNA event offers an entire weekend of running, with different distances and opportunities for runners and walkers of all abilities.

While I’m still not digging the idea of a full marathon, I was toying with the concept of the half marathon, before L contacted me and asked if I would be part of her five-woman relay team. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige: the relay is a fun way to complete the mileage, and I can never turn down a great group of people.

She and I met up at the Expo on Friday – I had to grab my 10K packet, and as Team Captain, she was responsible for getting our team our bibs and shirts. She also gave me our “Hakuna Matatas” tank. I was excited to wear that one.

As a very large, point-to-point race, race morning is an obscenely early one. I packed the car and met the rest of the team at a midpoint parking lot, before loading up to get to the main parking area and shuttles.

We were surprised to see that it wasn’t quite as crowded as last year, and we were easily able to use the portapotties and move around the start line area. Rather than gear check, we agreed to pack our bags and hand them off and exchange them among each other. As first runner, I gave my bag to our second runner, and when I met her at the exchange point, I would take both her bag and mine back to the start point to wait.

The morning was fairly cool, which was nice. Historically, this race is a cold one, but it seems that both times I’ve run, temperatures have been much higher (last year, unpleasantly so). My stomach was also feeling great, which was encouraging. The last time I took on the relay, I was hit by nasty GI issues that caused me quite a few problems on the course.

We all made sure to coordinate our times and runner tracking, and then I headed to the start line while the other ladies hopped on their respective shuttles.

The 26.2 with DONNA has a pulse start – there are so many runners that they are released in groups, a little at a time. I took up a position near the middle of the pack and was incredibly excited for the blast of pink confetti as I crossed the start line.

The first relay leg is approximately six miles, heading from The Players Championship site in Ponte Vedra, to the beach. It’s a spectator heavy portion of the course, winding through lots of little neighborhoods. I never mind the early run, if I’ve got tons of people around.

This time, my focus was on the names on my bib and the beautiful day. I got chills as I ran, so grateful for all the people who were out supporting survivors and those who have lost their battle with breast cancer. It was so incredibly inspiring and I soaked it all in.

The run was amazing. Even after a faster 10K the day before, my legs felt strong and I resisted the urge to stop for photos along the way. I made it to the relay exchange slightly faster than I anticipated, and passed off the baton to my teammate.

Unfortunately, the shuttles back to the start line are a bit of a mess. For the second year, a huge group of runners waited and waited and waited for a bus to come to no avail. I finally scored an Uber for the trek back to the finish line, but there should really be better monitoring of the area for transportation purposes.

While there was plenty of food and drink at the finish line, I didn’t get to indulge yet. I had promised our Team Captain that when she started the final leg, I would go back out on the course to keep her company for the last few miles. Her leg was 6.2 miles and included two soul-sucking bridges.

I treated myself to a beer and a granola bar while our teammates found their way to back from their distances. Finally, L texted that she was about to start the fifth and final leg, and I located her position on the runner tracking map. I made some time calculations and finally checked in my bag so I could head up the bridges to find her. Wind was most definitely a factor that day. There were strong gusts that made the going difficult.

Since I was going the opposite direction on the course, I tried my best to cheer on the runners. There were still plenty of them out there and the day had gotten hot and sunny very quickly. The view was breathtaking, however.

And along the bridge are all the message of inspiration that people wrote for their loved ones during the expo.

Finally, I saw L and fell into step with her. The wind was absolutely crazy, especially so high up, but we just put our heads down and pushed. We were so close to being finished!

Once we came down from the last bridge and made a right hand turn, the finish line was in our sights. The rest of our team was waiting so we could all cross the finish line together!

It was a great feeling! And it was even better knowing we had collectively completed a sub5 marathon!

We turned in our baton, collected L’s medal, and made our way back to Runner’s Village for our celebratory beer!

The party was still kicking, but we were just ready to move on. We still had a 20 minutes bus ride back to our vehicles and then it was another 40 minutes home for me.

It was a long day, but for such a worthy cause, it didn’t matter. Our hearts are with those  who fight every day and with those who lost their battle with this awful disease. We can only hope that a cure is found soon, and we can finish breast cancer.

Have you ever participated in DONNA weekend?

Do you prefer relays or going it alone?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kimberly Hatting says

    March 21, 2018 at 10:23 pm

    I’ve never don a DONNA event, I don’t think there are any in Iowa (??). I have a relay coming up in mid-May with six co-workers…it’s always fun. It’s great you had a team of gals together for an event such as this…your outfits look cute!
    Kimberly Hatting recently posted…St. Paddy’s Half MarathonMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Deborah Brooks says

    March 21, 2018 at 10:52 pm

    relay races with friends are so much fun especially when they are for such a fantastic cause
    Deborah Brooks recently posted…I’m Never Running A Marathon-Am I Still A Real Runner?My Profile

    Reply
  3. Kimberly G says

    March 22, 2018 at 12:44 am

    I love your team name and coordinating run outfits! I love the idea of a relay race – no better way than to feel part of a team. Congratulations!
    Kimberly G recently posted…Yuengling Shamrock 8K and Marathon Race RecapMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Nicole @ Fitful Focus says

    March 22, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    I’ve always wanted to do a relay, and what better cause do run it for?! Hopefully next year they’ll figure out that bus situation!

    Reply
  5. Stacie Seidman says

    March 22, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    Sounds like a great day! That’s too bad that the shuttles are so disorganized.
    I’ve done a few relays and I really love them. I’d definitely like to do more of them!
    Stacie Seidman recently posted…Thursdays ThreadsMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Rachel says

    March 22, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    I’ve heard such wonderful things about Donna. One day I’ll come do it. Congrats to you guys. <3
    Rachel recently posted…Grown Up Grilled Cheese with Avocado-Apple SaladMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Farrah says

    March 23, 2018 at 12:20 pm

    A relay definitely sounds like a more manageable way to do a marathon–great job on completing it and hooray for supporting such an awesome cause!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

well, hello there…

bio
Welcome to Runs With Pugs. My name is Jenn and this is the story of my love affair with running and finding myself through fitness. From C25K to marathon, from triathlon to SUP, from broken leg to the recovery journey... I'm sharing it all. I'm a wife and mother of one, living in NE Florida, in love with travel, adventure, and food. Oh. We have pugs and a hedgehog, too. Thank you for joining us! We're glad to have you along for the ride!
Follow on Bloglovin


Save 25% on your ROADiD order here

Pinterest

find what you’re looking for

recently

  • a much more relaxed week
  • 5 sources of mental clutter
  • my spring race plans
  • a week of exploring new things
  • 5 fitness superstitions

Facebook Likes

archives

Footer

disclaimer

I am not a doctor or medical professional, nor do I play one on the internet. This blog reflects my personal experiences on my own fitness and running journey, and the processes that work for me. Before you begin any exercise regiment, please consult your physician.
Happy Monday! I don’t know about you all, but y Happy Monday!

I don’t know about you all, but your girl is TIRED. It is so hard to roll out of bed some mornings. Ugh. 

I managed (finally) and banked six miles in some gross humidity. And now it’s time for some self care and then back to work.

Also. We have somehow acquired a pecan tree? Any tips on the growth and care of this would be greatly appreciated!

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids
Sunday fun day! Just a short walk to start the da Sunday fun day!

Just a short walk to start the day and work out some stiffness. Some days, my ankle just doesn’t want to cooperate 🫤

I have been making graphics and content all day for a client, and now I’m about to do hair and makeup for a little event. Wheee! 

This week is going to be BUSY! There’s a lot of changes to the regular routines (nails, a digital learning day, after school and weekend programming) and I have a race on Saturday and bocce ball on Sunday! 

Who else is ready to dive in?!

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids
Easy is nice, but nothing great ever happens insid Easy is nice, but nothing great ever happens inside the comfort zone.

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids 

 #injuryRecovery #RunChat #Training #FitMom #RunnerMom #FitnessBlogger #RunnersOfInstagram #RunningBlogger #SRTT #FitAfter40#WomensRunningCommunity #RunningCommunity #GoalDigger #HoneyStingerHive #TeamRoadID #GoodrFlamboyance #BalegaImpi #LeagueOfgarmin #BeatYesterday #RunHappy #BDRAmbassador #RunJax
Even though I got up late, the weather was still c Even though I got up late, the weather was still cool enough to make my 5 miler tolerable. 

We are supposed to see temps in the 90s this weekend and I am 100% not about it!

I won’t be racing this weekend: instead I’ve got some work, some volunteering, and another event on Sunday. Looking forward to all of it!

Are you running long or racing this weekend? Tell me about it!

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids
This Sunday, I hit up the #womenrunjacksonville ev This Sunday, I hit up the #womenrunjacksonville event at the @theglassfactory, presented by @yelpjacksonville and @market.and.mimosas!

Is it possible to be overwhelmed by so much amazing talent, creativity and awesome woman power? 

From the iconic “my phone eats first” tote to the gorgeous party wall lined with craft mimosas, to the silent disco headphones and all the vendors and food/drink samples! Swoon.

I shopped, ate, drank and chatted my way around the venue, and enjoyed every second of it. What a way to celebrate Women’s History Month, and all of the incredible female entrepreneurs, business owners and bosses in Jax and NE Florida!

Five stars. Would do again in a heartbeat!

#yougogirl #womenshistorymonth #girlpower #lovelocal #womanownedbusiness #smallbusiness #localbusiness #supportlocal #womenrunjax #yelpelite #yelpelitesquad #vendormarket #onlyinjax #thingstodojax #myphoneeatsfirst #firstcoastfavorites
35 minutes on the elliptical 👿 with a cool down 35 minutes on the elliptical 👿 with a cool down walk in the beautiful sunshine.

I am not a huge fan of gym equipment like the treadmill or the elliptical: I find it boring and often times awkward. That being said, I’m working through a training plan from @runsmartofficial and trusting the process.

Did you get your fitness inside or out today? How do you feel about the elliptical?

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids
Knock knock! Rolling through another Wednesday of Knock knock!

Rolling through another Wednesday of miles! It was not a great run (i got something in my contact and had to go home to flush it out!) but the company stellar as usual (@montarriba) and future me will say thank you for sticking it out.

I’ve got a busy day with some writing, a few emails and a trip to @danielle904beauty so stay tuned for that glow up!

How is your Wednesday? How are you rolling?

#running #streakingwiththecoolkids
Could they be any cuter? @lunanleonidas #pug #p Could they be any cuter?

@lunanleonidas 

#pug #pugpuppies
Let’s talk about balance. Balance is an area wh Let’s talk about balance.

Balance is an area where I sometimes struggle, physically and emotionally. It can be a challenge to fit in all the things I want and all the things I need. I don’t always love doing the mundane or tedious tasks that ultimately lead to the foundations of the things I am more passionate about.

I am taking a little more time to build on the basics, and find my balance. It’s going to lead to a healthier and happier me.

How do you find your balance? Do you struggle with the basics? 

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids
Sometimes, the weather is too beautiful not to run Sometimes, the weather is too beautiful not to run.

I worked through some cardio under the blue skies and in the fresh air and then came home to @runsmartofficial’s base building boot camp. 

There was A LOT of focus on balance and feet and ankles, as well as ground work in the form of different planks and push-ups. 

The movements were small but effective and my legs are certainly burning! It’s going to get harder as we go, but I’m excited to spend more time on my stability and form, to see if it makes me stronger and more efficient over time.

What was on your workout calendar today?

#Running #streakingwiththecoolkids

Copyright © 2023 · Wordpress Theme by Hello Yay!