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 I
was fortunate to represent TE '03 in the 2003 Motorola Marathon
on Sunday here in Austin, in both the race and the Runner's
Expo at Palmer Events Center. Thanks to the many folks that
stopped by our booth to offer their support on Friday and
Saturday. And a special thanks to Paul Carrozza and the RunTex
team for donating the booth to TE '03.
All of my life, I've wanted to run a marathon. And Sunday
was the day. A chilly 34°F, 7:00am start made me question
my sanity (yet again!). My good friend Nazario Rodriquez "decided"
to join me. (Well, I signed him up and had to sell him very
quickly on the idea. He had completed the NY marathon last
fall and had vowed not to do another one anytime soon.) A
blistering 5 hrs, 17 mins and 26.2 miles later,  we
were both on our backs enjoying a massage and absorbing the
great feeling of accomplishment - and of course the skilled
hands of the masseuse. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute
of the run, and in TE '03 apparel, received tons of support
on the route.
Running the marathon was more about keeping up my endurance
for the upcoming climb, so I wasn't overly concerned about
my speed. We'll have many long days on the mountain and it's
important to know how quickly I'll be able to recover from
these long days. After the run, my quads were a bit sore,
much like one would experience after a long descent. But within
a day or so, I felt strong again. As my legs rebuild, they'll
be stronger, and this will help me in the coming months.
On a funny note, I thought I'd have a day to relax and recuperate
after the marathon. But TE '03 never stops. The very next
morning, thirteen 50-pound boxes of expedition supplies were
dropped on a pallet at the bottom of my stairs. I had to get
over the soreness pretty quickly as I had to single-handedly
(so to speak) haul each box up the flight of stairs. 
So another of my goals has been accomplished. Some may ask
what running the marathon has to do with Team Everest. This
expedition is all about each person having the freedom to
set goals and the opportunity to fulfill these goals, regardless
of ability or disability. Thanks to all for your support.
Gary Guller
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