2015 Charity Update 3 - Andrew Reisse Memorial Scholarship

This third update follows from this post about the 2015 Charity Run Campaign leading up to my 48th birthday on July 12, and state marathon 33 of 50 (see more about that goal).

First off, an update on the fundraising. We've crossed $18,000 yesterday! Again, I really appreciate this as do the people the charities support.  What awesome birthday presents!

Please donate by clicking here.  We are matching all donations 1:1.  So even $12 yields $24.


Today’s spotlight is the Andrew Reisse Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland.

Andrew Reisse

Andrew Reisse, a graduate of the University of Maryland Computer Science program, helped start a company called Scaleform with Brendan Iribe and Michael Antonov.  Flash forward about a decade, and Scaelform is sold to Autodesk.  All of that team end up at Gaikai which promptly is sold to Sony.

3 years ago this weekend, the team met Palmer Luckey and saw his crazy duct tape VR prototype.  Oculus was born and on its way to a massive Kickstarter campaign and ultimate acquisition by Facebook.  I was lucky enough to meet the team in October 2012 and join in January 2013 as employee 15.

Unfortunately, these past three years has seen a terrible tragedy before even our one year anniversary. Andrew, a key programmer on the team, was killed while walking across the street - a victim of a police chase gone horribly wrong as a car driven by gang members fatally struck him.

Following this horrible incident, we decided to create an endowed scholarship in Andrew’s memory.  Dan Offner, our GC, and myself reached out to the University of Maryland and did the paperwork.  Brendan Iribe, our CEO and fellow UMD former student, endorsed the plan, and all of us on the board of directors approved Oculus’ support.  We worked closely with Andrew's parents, Dana and Robert Reisse (themselves graduates of UMD), to help define the qualifications students would need to receive the annual scholarship.

Andrew had a passion for photography, and we wanted to ensure that his broad view of the world was reflected in the scholarship.  Andrew would go off for days of hiking to spend time with nature, his camera often his only companion.  While this was not a requirement of the scholarship, perspective students needed to share this joy of the world.  I’ve added a few of Andrew's photographs here but really you should just lose yourself amongst the art at http://www.reisse.net.

To date, two students have received the scholarship:  Zachary and Corey

Corey wrote this about the scholarship:

"The Andrew Reisse Memorial Scholarship allowed me to focus more on my studies, and take more of the classes that I actually wanted to take.   It allowed me to spend more time outside of school tinkering with side projects. Curiosity is what brings about change, discovery, and learning, and the scholarship helped me satisfy some of my own curiosity about special topics not covered in my classes.  It invaluably opened up many doors for career opportunities after graduation."


Zach was the first recipient, and he ended up interning for us at Oculus.  In a letter he wrote to Bob and Dana, he mentioned his love of hiking.  In fact he had spent a summer at CERN and used the weekends to search out trails in he surrounding Alps.  He went on to draw a an even more direct connection with Andrew:

Great Falls MD

“Andrew took photographs of some of the exact spots at Great Falls MD that I had been to.  I go there several times every summer and relish the fact that such a beautiful environment is so close to my home.  When I was old enough to want to go without my parents, I would forge my own trails over the rocks near the Billy Goat Trail to catch the amazing views of the Potomac River. Andrew seems to have found the same perches and hidden spots I did.  The bond that I felt strengthened further.”

Corey overlapped interests with Andrew as well. Andrew loved to program with graphics, and Corey shares this passion as well.


All the UMD money we receive for this marathon fund raiser will go to add to the endowment and help ensure the fund lasts forever.

We still miss Andrew at work. It’s odd to think that so few of us worked with him but we have a nice nook with his photos up to always remember he helped us become what we are today.

Thanks,  Laird

2015 Charity Update 2 - July 4 Palisades Will Rogers 10K

The Color Guard arrives for race start

This second update follows along from this post about the 2015 Charity Run Campaign leading up to my 48th birthday on July 12, and state marathon 33 (see more about that goal).

You can donate by clicking here.

First off, an update on the fundraising. We've crossed $16,500 today!  Wow!  Even on the 4th of July, people are still donating.  I really appreciate this as do the charities themselves.  What awesome birthday presents!

And remember, we're matching donations 1:1.

As promised yesterday, I am back with an update on today's "tune up" race - the Pacific Palisades Will Rogers 10K (6.2 miles).  This is a special race because, this event, started in 1978, was the first one I ever ran in 2006.  I attempted the 5K. The experience was so wonderful that I decided to keep at this crazy mid-life crisis running addiction.  The joy I felt that day in something close to 28 minutes has propelled me to competing marathons in 11 countries and 32 states and having run in even more for fun.

Besides being less than 10 minutes walk from my Palisades home, the Will Rogers tradition has a great atmosphere.  It kicks off a day of Palisadian events including a parade and a concert with fireworks.  My friend Andrew, who along with his family, I spent the pre-race time with, thinks this overdose of July 4 is due to so many service people settling in the area after World War II.  Whether that's true or not, I cannot say, but a healthy patriotic pride permeates Pacific Palisades each Independence Day.

Over 2,000 people run each year, and probably more line the streets.  Red, white and blue is in ample supply.

I came in with a goal of 50 minutes with a stretch goal of 48 minutes in honor of my pending birthday in 8 days time.  At 8:15, after a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the gun fires.

The race starts off with a nice downhill through a residential area.  The area is packed at this stage as both 5K and 10K runners share the street.  After a half mile, I'm able to throttle down and get some speed going.  Running this course requires a real plan as there are very few flat sections - it's either up or down.  For those paying attention, that's perfect for me knowing that the Mad River VT marathon next week will be super hilly.

Run Dog Run! (and check out the socks at the top)

After looping the neighborhood, the course splits as 5Kers return to the Palisades Park to finish.  We 10kers head down Sunset Blvd towards the base of Will Rogers State Park by descending the famed road for half a mile.  The park was the home to the famed showman and after his untimely death, the state inherited the property.  The park itself is some 250 feet above Sunset, so a series of switchbacks are required to surmount the highest point on the course.

Up we go...

As you can view in the photos, this really is a natural setting (and one with a significant ascension).  Trails veer out of Will Roger into the Santa Monica Mountains and offer hours and miles of trail running or hiking.  Today the goal was only to loop the polo field and head back to the Palisades Park for our finish.

... And we are still going up!

And finally the highest point on the course, polo field to the left

A funny moment happened on our way down from the park.  A fellow runner yelled "left" so that he could sneak between me and the curb, he being able to minimize his total distance by about 1 foot vs just going around me.  I dutifully adjusted to give Captain America his requested access as he bounded down the quad shredding return to Sunset.

I smoked him on the ascent back up Sunset to the Palisades.

The end was happily uneventful.  I averaged 7:36 per mile and never had a mile over 7:55 even on the hilly bits.  500 feet of elevation up and down over 6 miles.  Perfect.

Well, I beat 50:00.

And I beat my pending birthday 48:00 goal.

My end time: An appropriate 47:47.  I will enjoy the final 8 days of that number!

Tomorrow, we'll look at the University of Maryland and our Andrew Reisse Scholarship.

Thanks for your continued support.

Laird

2015 Charity Run - Update 1 - Children International

Charity Run 2015:  Update 1 and Children Information Info

(Reminder - please support these great charities and celebrate my 48th birthday: Donate here.)
(Learn more about the 2015 Fundraiser and my next marathon on July 12.)

We are five days into the charity fundraiser for 2015, and I’m happy to report that you have given over $14,000 so far.  To be fair, this is skewed by a massive $10,000 donation, but over $4,000 in a few days is also wonderful.  Thank you all!

We have another week to go for the marathon, and I’ll be doing a tune up run tomorrow in Pacific Palisades - The Will Rogers 5k/10k.  This is the first race I ever tried. (I trotted the 5k back in 2006.)  It’s a local affair but still attracts 1000’s of people from around SoCal and even sometimes tourists too.  The race is a tour of the neighborhood and then a steep switchback up to Will Rogers State Park,  past the polo field, and finally back down to Sunset and the finish.  I think I have done 7 or 8.

In addition, I referenced running 50 states before I am 50.  Vermont on my birthday next week will be my 33rd of the 50, and I have 2 years to run the remaining 17.  I have a vague plan, but of course one has to react to the rest of life too.  Here’s a post I put up a few years ago about my 50 goals.  The 50 miler is already done and 50 states is next.  For those who don’t know, I’ve already run on 7 continents.

But let’s get to something more important.

Over the next few days, I am going to highlight the three charities I support.  We’ll start with Children International.

This Kansas City MO based foundation has been in existence since 1936 (under a different name) with a focus on disabled children and widows.  35 years ago, the group opened their first projects in India, the Philippines and Guatemala.

From their website:  “Today, Children International gets the majority of its funding from individual and corporate contributions, international development agencies and local governments. Our organization continues to expand our web of hope, reaching hundreds of thousands of impoverished children.  The programs by which we achieve these efforts include health and hygiene lessons, social and financial education, leadership training, sports for development activities, job-skills training and scholarships.”

They work in a huge range of countries:  Colombia, the Dominican, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Zambia and the United States.  Truly international!

I visited a center in Chile in 2011, and since then, CI has actually stood down as Chile moved out of the developing nations status.  My visit was really amazing - to see the medical clinic and to meet the staff was incredible.  Getting to go and see the actual people in their homes and chat with them in my poor Spanish was very special.  Every house had pictures of their children.  If you needed a reminder of the bonds between people no matter the circumstances, that was it.

We have 4 supported girls in The Philippines, and for the charity runs, we sponsor a specific project.  This year, we are working to improving CI’s new center in Delhi India.  Sarah, my contact at CI sent this info:

“Shahabad Dairy is a slum in the northwest part of Delhi. It is home to more than 21,000 families crammed into a six-block area. Residents settled there over 25 years ago when they were evicted from government and private lands in Delhi. Children International’s second community center in Delhi, India, will bring much-needed support to impoverished children in the community of Shahabad Dairy.”

There’s even more info here:  https://www.children.org/shahabad-dairy-new-center

Just this one stat alone sends shudders through me:  “The student-to-teacher ratio in Shahabad Dairy is an abysmal one teacher per 100 students.”

All the money we raise for CI on this run will go helping this center come together.

Thank you for your support.

---------
Tomorrow, we’ll come back with an update on the 10k.

Laird

Charity Run 2015: Up, Up and Away

Panorama from the Santa Monica mountains on a hilly training run

Charity Donation Page:  https://www.justgive.org/runlairdrun

I love comic books.  I loved them as a kid, and when I started to work on superhero video games around 2005, I rediscovered that interest which has since continued unabated throughout the past 10 years.  Not surprisingly, but unrelated to my running, the Mercury runner of DC - The Flash - is my favorite of all time.  He was as a kid, and he is today.  I remember reading the massive DC specials when Flash raced Superman.  They have done this a number of times and I think the current tally is even in terms of wins, losses and draws.

I am drawn to the inherent goodness in most superheroes.  Unlike the mythologies of Greece or Scandinavia, Superman and friends are all generally motivated to help others.  Their true powers are their interest in human kind, and their abilities are how they manifest those beliefs.

In some limited way, I hope to reach for a small segment of that goodness by running my annual charity marathon.  For those new to running with me, I take an event or events every 12-18 months and designate it as a run for three charities I support: Children International, The Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Andrew Reisse Memorial Fund at the University of Maryland.

This year, the theme is “up.”  (Yeah, I know that’s more a Superman thing than a Flash thing.)  All of these charities help lift their beneficiaries to new heights.  The Alliance helps children in the LA foster system with legal support and mentors them to be successful in society and happy in their lives.  They also help people adopt children and bring love and family to many people each year.   Children International runs medical, school and sports centers around the world and connects people with sponsored children in impoverished areas.  I visited their center in Chile in 2011, and we have 4 adopted daughters in the Philippines.  The Andrew Reisse Memorial Scholarship, which I started along with other members of Oculus, remembers our co-founder who died tragically.  Each year 1-2 students receive a scholarship to uphold Andrew’s passion for computer science combined with his unique love of the world.  Andrew expressed his vision with photography (http://www.reisse.net), and each recipient of the award has some way in which he or she expresses smoothing beyond just studies.  More on all of these in a moment.

For those ready, here’s the link to donate.  I use the site Justgive.org.  They do charge a service fee but they are the best aggregators of donations.  Over the past 6 years, we’ve raised over $50,000.  (The site shows $37K since some money did not flow through them.) If you prefer to donate directly to the funds, you can find donation places on their websites.  Just send me your email confirmation so I can track the match.

The Up theme continues in a few ways. First, the marathon is on my 48th birthday - July 12.  So, I will be going up a year on the day I run.  Second, the course itself is very hilly - over 2,000 feet of elevation gain during the 26.2 mile course.  And lastly, this marathon will increase my state count to 33 and leave me 17 to go in 2 years to reach my 50 by 50 goal.

And additionally, this year we are “upping” the donations with 100% match up to $1,000 per donation.  Give $10, and so will we.  Give $480 and we’ll do that too.

Here are some numbers to consider giving:

$12.00 - for the 12th of July
$33.00 - for marathon state 33
$48.00 - for my 48th birthday
$262.00 - $100x 26.2 Miles
$712.00 - for my birthday 07/12
$864.60 - for 33 states multiplied by 26.2 miles for each

Let me tell you about each of the charities.

The Andrew Reisse Memorial Scholarship:

Andrew Reisse, class of 2001, was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, and a loyal friend. He was unique in so many interesting ways. He embodied a kind and utterly selfless disposition. He mentored and inspired everyone around him. While at the University of Maryland, Andrew was a College Park Scholar.  This scholarship has been created in memory of Andrew by Oculus VR, Inc. and his parents, Dr. Robert '70, '76 and Mrs. Dana Reisse '73, who met at Maryland while pursuing their graduate studies. Contributions will establish an endowed scholarship to ensure that future Terps are given the same opportunity to change the world as Andrew did.

The Alliance for Children’s Rights:
The Alliance for Children’s Rights protects the rights of impoverished, abused and neglected children and youth. By providing free legal services and advocacy, the Alliance ensures children have safe, stable homes, healthcare and the education they need to thrive.  For many of their clients, the Alliance is the only connection to a safer, brighter future.

Children International:
With its myriad of programs, I chose one for each fund raiser.  This year it will be a new center in India:  Shahabad Dairy is a slum in the northwest part of Delhi. It is home to more than 21,000 families crammed into a six-block area. Residents settled there over 25 years ago when they were evicted from government and private lands in Delhi. Children International’s second community center in Delhi, India, will bring much-needed support to impoverished children in the community of Shahabad Dairy.


Please help all of these worthy goals by donating.  You will help make birthday 48 and marathon 33 all the more special.

I’ll try to have lots of updates leading up to the race.

Thank you -


Laird

iPhone on the Run

I always run with my iPhone.  Even on short runs.  Partly this is for safety, but I also love grabbing shots from the pavement.  Here are a bunch from just the past few weeks.

Spider web in Temescal Park

Deer near Stanford Golf Course

East Palo Alto running trail

The "Dish" behind Stanford

Echo Park, Los Angeles.  Sculpted in the Art Deco style by artist Ada Mae Sharpless,  the statue’s official  name is "Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles" (Queen of the Angels).  But most people refer to the statue as the "Lady of the Lake."   

Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Sunny Time in Lake Town

Sunny Sunday saw me dash along the shores of Lake Coeur D’Alene in the eponymously named town that sits along its northern edge.  Marathon 58 and state 32 swiftly passed satisfactorily, if not swimmingly in 4:02 - my fastest time since January 2014.

After three marathons (Waco, Little Rock and Louisville) that featured rain (at times downpours), a race where no outerwear featured provided a chance to fully enjoy being outdoors.  The Coeur D’Alene name - Heart of the Awl - refers to the French name applied to the local native American tribe.  According to the official CDA website - http://www.cdatribe-nsn.gov - the native name of the tribe is Schitsu-umsh.  That translates to “those who were found here” or “the discovered ones” and alternatively the tribe was known as the Old Ones.  The French Canadian trappers appellation refers to the CDA tribe’s excellent skill with mercantile works and their shrewdness in trading.  This is probably why the Schitsu-umsh were one of the wealthier groups in the northwest Americas.  They settled various villages long lake Coeur D’Alene and the surrounding rivers.  Today, just 2,000 number the population and they live off the revenue from a casino, tourism and government funds.

The race itself does very little (nothing) to actually refer to the native peoples.  This may not be a true fault of the race but rather a comment on the community in general which is now a thriving tourist destination with plenty of seasonal residents from most of the western states.  The town itself is compact and clean.  The city area by the lake - where the race transited before heading south along the eastern shore - is full of wide paths and small streets.  Quaint shops dot the streets and the residential areas looked pleasant.   70º degree weather and mostly clear skies I am sure contributed to this feeling.  The day before the race, I walked along the lake shore and small beach, populated by many, many families enjoying the fine weather.  Music played from various speakers and footballs and frisbees flied fleetly through the fresh air.

Running for the Roses

American Pharoah

American Lairdo

American Pharoah just blasted past two horses to win the 141st Kentucky Derby.  I would love to write that I did the same to win the 14th Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon the weekend before on April 25th.  However, I would need the field to be about 7 slow people in total rather than my fellow 1500 rain soaked runners.

Sparkling times in the 3:30s seemed to have fully slipped out of my grasp, and this race, thanks to a few longer bathroom stops was my slowest marathon ever at just under 4:45.  I’ve spent more time on a course but only for longer distances.  In fact, I completed two 50Ks (31 miles) faster!

So whilst state 31 got notched where ever one notches completed marathon states, I need to look at other qualities of my runs rather than purely completion time.

First, just finishing really needs to be goal one.  Determination and heart cannot be ignored when running 26.2 miles.  The distance and time both are too long to do it all on skill and physical ability.  Or perhaps more accurately stated, part of the skill needed is mental.  This is less about willing myself to keep running (usually) but more this is about running well.  Can I keep a good pace, my heart rate in a good zone and my mind clear?  Yes on this race at least!

The Mighty Ohio

So, second is setting a plan and trying to hit it.  When I go out running, I have a preconceived idea of how I will run.  Is the first half flat and the second half hilly?  Do I try to for negative splits (2nd half faster than the first)?  Do I want to pass lots of people at the end?  What is my time goal, and what is a stretch one?  In the end, I need to respect the conditions on the course.  So, with rain for the entire race (pretty much), I knew my time would be slower and yet also I would not overheat.  Everything is a trade off.  Had the day been hot or humid, the time would have been even slower.  But you do not want to bonk at mile 18 and not finish.  This is meant to be fun after all, and it is.

Deep Run in the Heart of Texas

Waco is famous for cattle coming to market. This cowboy statue drives in a herd.  When the race starts, they play sound effects of cattle stampeding.

Reading this site, you cannot help to notice I set a lot of running goals.  Seven continents, 50 mile runs, 50 states before I am 50 years old, and even shorter term ones such as running 3 half-marathons in 3 days.  One goal that is less driven by events and more by fitness is that ability to run a marathon at any time.

So, the opportunity arose this weekend for me to knock off state 29 by signing up late for a marathon in Waco Texas.  And while this turned into a mini-ultra (see more below), happily the run showed me that indeed I can drop in a marathon without much warning.  This comes from maintaining a certain fitness level and knowing how to pace a race and stay within my capabilities on any given day.  This knowledge of my skills and body came in handy today as this “toughest marathon in Texas” dished out hill after and after hill after hill.  And then a few more hills!  Fortunately, I happen to like hills.

Running by Baylor

In my mind, Waco is connected to the tragedy at the Branch Davidian complex.  But really, that happened miles outside of the town, and the city is rightly known for Baylor University, the Brazos River and Lake Waco.  All of these landmarks featured on today’s course.

The race is called the Miracle Match Marathon, and it’s hosted by the Waco Fire Department.  In fact, many of the brave men and women who protect Waco participated in full gear.  The miracle match refers to stem cell Donors, and with a family member narrowly avoiding needing one recently, I was happy to toss in my registration fee to help the cause.  I liked how every mile marker highlighted a donor or recipient by name.

We circled the exterior of the Baylor football stadium

The event features all sorts of running distances of which the half was probably the most popular. When the marathoners and halvers separated at 6 miles, the course thinned considerably.  So, in the end, this was just a long city run.  We started with 3 miles in and around Baylor which was great.  It’s a beautiful campus, and there were students out to cheer us on.




Waco also is near an air force base, and airmen and women were abundant volunteering and extolling us to a quick pace.  A few yelled at us runners good natured.  Actually, I picked up my pace just in case they were not actually friendly threats.

An inlet of Lake Waco

And then we hit the hills as we made our way to and along Lake Waco.  Forget Texas being flat.  Them thar hills out there!  Up one and down another.  50 feet up.  75 down.  100 up etc.  But like I wrote, I enjoy hills.  In fact, I took my every 5 mile one minute walk breaks on the downhill portions only to be teased by other runners zipping by me.

Top of the stairs looking back down

The race features an optional “Jacob’s Ladder” staircase 100' climb. If you do this, you get a wrist band which is then exchanged for a ladder to hang off your medal. (See the photo at the bottom.)  Of course, not at all caring about time, I did this; I did skip the offered chili pepper at the bottom and beer at the top.  And a good thing my time did not matter.  A fellow runner and I were completely confused at the top where to go, and no one was around to give directions.  The street had a chalk line.  In fact it had two.  We chose….  poorly.

And thus my 26.2 mile run became 28.2.  Fortunately, it was not worse, as a course official saw us and turned us around.  We had managed to run back part of the half marathon course which was reconnecting with the marathon before leading to the finish along the Brazos River.  How about some more hills - this time in reverse?  The diversion cost me a sub 4:30 finish, but I was not at all upset.  When we hit the course again, it was obviously the right way to go.  I felt more dumb than annoyed. In fact, 10 of us enjoyed getting back on the beam together.  At least we had company in our extended run.  No special wrist band or medal extension for this excursion though. 

So, state 29 was a bit longer than normal, but the sunny yet cool day was gorgeous.  Everyone was super friendly, and even following last week’s Star Wars Disney Weekend of running (10K + half marathon over two days), I was in fine form.

Next up - Little Rock on March 1 and state 30.

The dark ladder under the two is hanging off the finisher medal which itself is sitting on the bib that is then on the finisher pull over they give you for besting those pesky hills.

Updated state map with 21 states to yet shade blue - and 30 months to run them

Triple the Turkey Treats

This past Thanksgiving marked my 9th since beginning my running career in 2006.  I remember driving to Long Beach in 2006 for my first Turkey day race.  For some reason, I just knew that people hosted events on the 4th Thursday of each November.  Long Beach was only 45 minutes away, and while my run was only a 45 minute 10K, I enjoyed the start to the day.

Circa 2006 going out of business

In fact, running on Thanksgiving filled a gap left by the loss of Tower Records.  After I earned my drivers license in 1993, I began going to Tower Records in West Hollywood every Thanksgiving.  For some reason, this legendary record shop kept its doors ajar on the typical day off.  I would start with the video store, move down a few doors to classical then dodge the sparse traffic across venerable Sunset Boulevard to the main establishment.  Sometimes I came home with nothing to show for the sojourn, but usually I discovered some new treat.  At some point, the store Book Soup entered the morning routine.  I first discovered the Dark Tower series there by Stephen King.

Even when in college, if I returned home for the holiday, Tower figured into the Thursday plan along with football and food.

But all things must pass into the grey havens, and Tower is long gone.  So much for a new work by a composer or a remastered album by a 60’s rock legend.  Physical media are eschewed these days both in audio and text, so I am not even sure what I would take away from a journey in any case.  (Those out there thinking that I would figure it out are most likely correct.)

In any case, when I analyze why these outings engendered such regular behavior, I really think at the core is a desire for a newness.  A surprise find.  A revelation of some kind.

So, Thanksgiving dawns often with a new running goal.  I am not as regular with races these past 9 years as always finding a brand new goal, but I believe I have run every Thanksgiving since 2006.

This year, I decided to find a new challenge, and thanks to the small, but well run local running outfit “A Better World Running,” discovery occurred.  Operated by Mark and Michelle, a Better World Running is a successor to another running group in So Cal.  I ran one of their races in Santa Monica in 2012 as I trained for my 50 mile run.  Their races take place on numerous beach bike paths.  The runs are supported by aid stations, and the atmosphere is very relaxed.  Super friendly in fact.

This year, they hosted runs on all 4 days of the long weekend.  Being only in town for three, I opted for my first ever back-to-back-to-back half marathons.  Whilst I have twice completed two marathons on sequential days, I have never done 3 halves in a row.  To be honest, at my training level, this should not be an issue, but until the laces are tied and the 13.1 miles crossed each day, the outcome is unknown.

The first event took place conveniently enough in Santa Monica.  Three 4.37 loops from just south of the Santa Monica pier north to just after the California incline comprised this course.  The loop courses allow for you to pass many of the over 100 participants running a range of distances from 5k to marathon.  You see others with their tiny bibs pinned to their running gear and give a wave or nod or cheer.  While the course it open and cyclists and other runners weave around you, there is a sense of communal experience.  I took the first day in just over 2 hours.  I do have to say that the third lap was anticlimactic.   There was a sense of having been there and done that - partly due to the three laps and partly as I run this area all the time.  Given the 6:30 start, I was back at home and watching football at 9:30, finisher medal in hand.

The next day required the longest drive and in fact I was unsure how to time the 60 miles to Huntington Beach and probably got up too early.  In any case, I sat in my car for a few chilly moments before embarking on the two lap course south and back between Seal Beach and Huntington.  I had never run this area before, so there was enjoyment at seeing the Pacific from this vantage point.  The crowd today was smaller given the Friday, but it was still fun and I pulled in with a 1:59 time, happy to have compiled the 2nd race faster than the first.  Another medal in hand, and I was back at home to get some work done.

The last day for me was a Saturday.  As I was flying off to the UK that afternoon, I got up early to push myself a bit towards GMT.  That corresponded with the Arsenal Football match at 4:45 AM and I was able to watch a fair bit of it before driving to Long Beach.  This course started exactly where my very first Turkey Trot had occurred.  I didn’t realize what a treat returning here would be.  Long Beach has been improving their bike paths and beach areas, necessitating the closure of some sections.  Mark and Michelle had anticipated running us south, but after scoping the course the day before, they found we could run north instead.  What was great about this is that you run towards the Queen Mary - the venerable icon of the Long Beach Harbor.  You can pretty much see it from everywhere, but the course included the spit of land of that juts into the water just across from the vessel.  I really did not realize it until I got near the end of the 6.55 mile first loop.  The cloudy morning, perfect for running, still afforded a lovely view.  And getting to run the second loop was a treat too as the sun have poked out and the ship was a wash in light.

As I zipped in with final time of 1:59:58, Michelle handed me a specially made trophy complete with my name and the logos of the three races: The Turkey Trot, The Turkey Trek and the Turkey Dash.  A tradition of running rewarded by a new goal sated (and a new level in the Half Fanatics online run club!).

Next year, who knows what I will do.  Other than run of course.


Post script
Ironically, I did not have turkey at all during the weekend.  In fact, I had salmon all three nights before each race which is in fact my traditional post long run food.  It’s my turkey of the sea I guess.