I have had a bucket list item for a long time. I have been a season ticket holder for the Chargers since 1999, sat in many different stadium seats, watched a LOT of games. But I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be on the field?
Well, I never got to play football, and I don’t work for the Chargers, so that was a pretty lofty bucket list item. That is, until my amazing wife Amanda told me that there is a Chargers 5k race that would end on the 50 yard line inside the stadium. Hmmm……5k race….me…..hmmmm……
Everything felt right about this. It involved the Chargers, being on the field, free beer, being on the field…oh wait I mentioned that. Do you see where my excitement is building?
The morning of…..5am wake up call to be at Qualcomm stadium and be ready for a 7:30am start time. I’ve never done any type of race before so I had no clue what to expect. We got to the stadium in time to watch the 10k runners start their race. The mood wasn’t what I really expected. Everyone was so happy! People of all shapes and sizes were there, but they were all there for the same common purpose. The feeling from the crowd was really getting me jazzed up for the 5k.
Then, it got better. As the race began, everyone was so excited! We were giving each other high-fives, thanking all the police and firefighters for their work making us safe, cheering on the faster runners, they were cheering us on, it was an environment I can’t remember being a part of in a long time. On top of that, I had an amazing partner by my side to share the experience with.
So, mile one, mile two, mile 3 seemed to go by in a blur. I couldn’t wait to get on the field. To see the stadium from the 50 yard line.
Side story: Running through the tunnel at Qualcomm Stadium offers a unique site. There are a LOT of shoes hanging from the poles underneath the scoreboard:
There are a lot of rumors as to what these shoes are. Who threw these shoes up there? Current or former players? Employees? Some of these shoes looked like they’ve hung there for ages. There are a lot of stories behind the real reason the shoes are there, I’m just glad I had that moment to see them for myself and wonder.
Back to the race. We were there! We were ready to finish. The 50 yard line was in front of us. As Amanda and I made it through the announcer called our names. Greg and Amanda Betz was called over the loud speakers at Qualcomm stadium! Can it get any better than that???
We did it! We walked a 5k in about an hour, had an amazing time doing it, and got to fulfill a dream I never thought possible. Oh, and the medals aren’t bad either!
I’d do it again in a heartbeat. We hope to do more. There are other races we can get involved in, and I honestly hope to do this one again! I hope there’s another Chargers 5k. I hope to get the opportunity to be on the field again. I hope to cross that finish line and hear our names called over the loud speakers again. I hope………
Oh yeah, I did mention free beer. Yeah, they offered us a free can of Bud Light after the race was over. There are two things I have to say about that. 1, it was 9am by the time we were done. And 2, it was Bud Light. Seriously???
Thanks for being here 🙂