runningchunk.com

[I have no idea why it took me so long to post this. The 2012 runningchunk.com 5K took place on October 6.]

Wind, rain, and snow. Hangovers.

Five brave souls showed up for this year's event. Another participated in an alternate dimension. All lived to tell the tale. Here are some testimonials:

"Why can't I just have pants that won't fall down when I'm running?" - Josh

"I hate you." - Matt

"I got home at 3:00 AM." - James

"This is the worst." - Nancy

"There are fewer sewage lagoons than I was expecting." - Dan

After briefly standing around in the bitter cold, we gathered at the start. I explained the course layout, and James reassured everyone that it wasn't nearly as confusing as my explanation. Official start time was 11:33, and we slogged up the first hill as a group.

Cresting the hill, James and Nancy pulled away from me, and I pulled away at the waistband of my thermal tights. A rule of running says that you never try out new gear during a race, and wearing my biking tights that morning wasn't a good idea.  

I, and likely the others, buckled down and tried to ignore the wind and mixed snow and rain. Near the end, Nancy started walking after a big gust of snow hit her, and I thought for sure I'd see her in my pickup peeling out of the parking lot shortly thereafter. But she got to the end just after I did, though we both arrived at the finish line to see James waiting, bored. I think he was filing his fingernails.

Danno loped in shortly thereafter, followed by Matt, who impressed everyone with his first race performance. G is said to have run in a different time zone and completed a 5K in some super-human time, but forfeited by not consuming the mandatory bottle of Old Style after finishing.

So here are the results, as official as they come:

• James: 28:49
• Josh:  30:26
• Nancy: 30:58
• Dan:   37:18
• Matt:  44:36

Thanks to all you schmoes who ran. See you next [this] year!