Me at the end--the hardest part is the hike out of the coliseum!

This is always an amazing experience. I always tear up at the start and as I arrive at the coliseum. There are Asian drummers there (I don't know exactly where they come from every year but I saw the Kodo Drummers of Japan while I was in college and they are like those) men and women drumming an amazing beat at the start of the tunnel. it is powerful and amazing and it always make me cry--especially this year when all I could think about was that they had been drumming for hours in the hot sun. It was so hot this year. Nobody hung out on the field this year. Too hot--we grabbed a cupcake from the survivor tent, our snacks our medals and my flower and gave hugs to all and left after maybe half an hour or a bit more.