RUNNERS!!! What is your most MEMORABLE race?

No contest - any and all races with my 9yo daughter. We've done 1M, 2M, and several Girls On The Run 5K's together. At one GOTR, I put her on my shoulders, then rotated around so she could see the course filled with thousands and thousands of girls, just like her. A truly great memory.

My first (and to date only) ironman triathlon marathon, I was a mess. Luck was not on my side that day, and things had been going wrong before the race even started. By marathon time I was holding on for dear life. The course was 4 out n back 6.6M loops, so friends were able to keep track of me, and hang in there with me. One friend walked with me the last loop. I was shuffling along as fast as I could, and he was walking beside me. I'd lost all sense of equilibrium and was waiting to just fall over. I'd maxed out my pain threshold, and didn't realize till a week later that I had quarter sized blisters on my feet. At the 25 mile point, I ran into two more friends, and my 3 friends brought me home.

A month later, I PR'd a 5K. Completely different experience.

Hmm

1) 2007 Calif Intl Marathon (CIM). My tenth marathon and I finally learned how to run smart and within my abilities and put together almost even splits (1:40/1:41). I ran a 3:21:11 which is still my current PR.

2) Cypress 5K 2007. I ran a 19:49, thanks to my buddy Joe who help pace me to first sub 20 finish.

3) Fontana Half 2011. After being slow, injured and fat for well over a year, I was shocked to break a 4 year old PR on this all downhill course for a 1:28:48.

This topic made me laugh out loud because my most "memorable raceS" were when I was high school.
1--My very first cross country race EVER was on JV...The course was poorly marked so I thought I was lost. Walked for 2-3 mins then found out I was on the right path...only to see the finish line 200 yards ahead! I booked it--thought I was last...turned out, I came in FIRST with a 24:36/3mi!! From that point on, I was on Varsity.

2--My sophomore year...5k...the girl in front of **** her shorts--needless to say, I passed her with the quickness (no more drafting off of her!!)

Now--other memorable races are:
3--End of Running Camp Race to the Top in NC--The scenery at the top of the mountain was breathtaking--LITERALLY!! The best 4 mi trail race, I've had--but looking forward to running more!

4--McGuire's Halloween 5k in Destin, FL--Halloween, anything goes!

The B.A.A. Half Marathon last year - namely because I was in so much pain from start to finish that I had tears coming down my face the last couple miles; but it was worth it, since I ran for Dana Farber and had so many people that had donated and cheered me on that I couldn't live with a DNS or DNF. Of all my races though, it was my very worst/slowest. But somehow it felt like a much bigger accomplishment than the much longer/faster races.