Easter Seals 24 Hour Relay Outcome

I've been trying to hammer out a race report, but as usual, it's going to be as long as the event for which it's written.....so far I'm thinking that it'll be 6 or 7 pages.

I know, I know...another Shogun.

For those who've asked for immediate gratification (albeit 3 weeks late), here's the Reader's Digest version:

The weather was stellar.

Logistically, it was more like a Fat Ass event...I had to supply my own grub (I never realized the close similarity that an aid station has to a Superbowl party until the Safeway clerk pointed it out).

Thanks to Peter at North Shore Athletics for supplying one of their tents as an aid station!

Thanks to Club Fat Ass for allowing me to post my plight & donating to a great cause.

There was very little rest for the crew as there wasn't the usual multi-hour wait between aid stations...nor was there the "excitement" of driving rough mountain roads to get to said aid stations....no..they were plunked on the same piece of real estate ad nauseum.

My son Max managed a few miles himself as he would run a lap of the track everytime I came through (proudly wearing a Knee Knacker shirt).

I have never been in a race where one had to dodge volleyballs, bacci balls, frisbees, & drunks...sometimes in combination.

I have never been in a race where one had to avoid the traction beam-like pull of a beer garden every 2 1/2 miles.

I have never been in a race where one got to run with a group of intoxicated "fans" as they played the theme song for "Cops" on their ghetto blaster as they cheered you along.

Jaquie, Don, Matt, & who had their own team & were dressed in wigs & Bare Ass shorts & rang cowbells 'til the wee hours of the night (MORE COWBELL!!)

Manon & the kids crewed right up until 2:00am whereupon Manon thought it better to get 4 hours of shut-eye at home (the kids were happy enough to fall asleep under the NSA tent on the track to the sounds of a Tragically Hip cover band).

The toughest parts:

-between 2:00pm & 4:00pm when the heat of the day was getting to me.

-Mile 50 when blisters threatened to end my run.

-Mile 92.5 when my pinky toenail jumped ship.

Many, many guest visitors/Fat Asses made appearances:

Sylvie & Mike ran with another team, but took some time to plod along with me from mile 50 to 52.5 & took my mind off my blisters.

Monty at 2:00am...he put in two laps in his loafers.

Mike Wardas who was waiting in a lawn chair at the side of the road at 11:00pm with his son Jake.

Baldwin who showed up prior to the 1/2 way mark & was promptly put to work (read: plied wit the promise of beer, food, & wimmin) by another team.

Sukhi who showed up at 52.5miles & ran with me through the night...thanks for the camaraderie, conversation, motivation, as well as the silence. He managed to keep us clicking along like a Swiss watch. Every single lap from that point on was between 31 & 33 minutes!!

Jenn (from NSA as well as Delany's) who decided she needed to warm up at 5:00am prior to her group run stint at NSA.

Sukhi, Mike W, Jenn, & Baldwin who made the final 5 miles as much a Fat Ass group run as anything I've ever done (minus the beer).

Rhonda & Marilyn showed up in time for the final parade.

Thanks so much to all of you for keeping me entertained & helping with morale.

I hit the 100 mile at 20:35...then promptly hit the aid tent recuperate for 3 hours before returning to the track for a final couple of laps (in flip flops)....rumour has it that it's only the 2nd time someone has done this (run 100 miles...not the flip flop thing) in the Vancouver event (I believe Al Howie went well above that a few years ago).

They lost my result card between the finish & the awards...& had only recorded 75 miles at the last check...luckily Manon kept a meticulous chart of every single lap so they were able to verify the 100 miles (though they have yet to update the website).

WE...& I really mean every single one of you that helped out either by donating, adding my plea to your blog, or forwarding my email to your friends...managed to raise $8700 by race day!! Money is still coming in & the total is at $9600!!! That's almost double the original goal & enough to send almost 4 kids to the Easter Seals Camp!!!

Thank you all so very much!!! You should be very proud of this ultrarunning community!!

I promise that the long version won't end up in limbo like Axel Rose's "Chinese Democracy"!

Thanks.

Glenn Pace

aka Mudrunner