Final bragging rights.....and then I'll shut up about this

Arrived home to something unexpected:

Apart from the fact I had no idea this was going to arrive in the post at all it did include all those important little stats that I like to see and couldn't figure out from the official posting on the NYC Marathon results page.  So to make it easy here's what I really really cared about (well apart from crossing that line of course):

• Overall place: 26,244 out of 44,969 total finishers - okay in the second half, not enamored with that stat.
• Gender place: 7,257 out of 16,124 female finishers - quite enamored with this, broke the 50% mark.
• Age-group place: 1,314 out of 2,801 finishers - awesome, most happy....I'm good to be the middle of the pack for my age group!
• Pace per mile: 10:21 - not that good really but I don't much care because I run to how I feel and am not really that scientific about it.  Might be I could run better if I did, but that's not really the point for me...

All that aside, I think arriving is the most important thing and anyone that crossed that line has achieved something and, my pick, is that the very last person across the line actually achieved the most because it cost them so much more in terms of effort, commitment and focus.  So, I'll brag about this but  44,969 people ran that race with varying degrees of ability but 110% commitment, that's the one thing we all had in common and shame on those "purists" who think it isn't all about arriving and that the marathon should only be about achieving some "magical" time, being able (financially and physically) and "looking right".  Abilities range from the most able......right through to the most enabled.