Beach2Bay2011

"Here we are, team “Yes We Mes-Cans!” holding our medals, after finishing our hot but fun Beach to Bay Marathon Relay in Corpus Christi, TX. The relay race is held each year on the 3rd Saturday of May (Armed Forces Day) to honor our nation’s men and women serving in the U.S. Military. Thousands of runners participate in this event every year. This is the 5th year we run it and each year the 6 person team is a little different than the year before. The team is usually composed of family members and close friends who want to take a stab at a 3.8 – 4.8 mile run (depending on the leg). On the team this year, we were proud to have our youngest team member ever, 8- year old Elijah Rivera! He ran the 4.36mi long 3rd leg and proudly handed off his baton to his former Marine dad, (seated to the left) Albert Rivera. Former Air Force Enlisted member, Javier Rivera (me, kneeling center) ran the 3.41mi 1st leg and handed off to Active Duty Air Force member (standing next to me), Leslie Ponce. She has run this event the last 3 years and is one of the most athletic runners on our team having accomplished two half marathons, one full marathon and several 5 and 10k’s. Rose Gonzalez (cousin, standing far right) saved the day by volunteering to run last minute. She wasn’t prepared to run a race like this but was brave enough to accept our plea for an alternate runner. She did well after trudging for 4.20 miles where she handed off to my son, Alex Rivera (son, standing left). My 16 year old soccer star ran the longest leg (4.89 miles) and came in strong to the finish line. This was his 3rd time running this race. I would like to thank CustomInk for their professionalism and great customer service. The shirts turned out better than expected. The ink was vibrant and you did a great job touching up my design. Our team loved them! We received lots of compliments from runners and spectators and you bet we mentioned your name! “Go with CustomInk.com!! They are the best!”" - Beach2Bay2011 (May 24, 2011)