Sunday, November 26, 2006

Turkey Trot Review

Well Coot fans, I'm back in the Pitt after almost a week at my folks' house. It was a nice trip but as the saying goes, it's good to be home. I'm sure you're all wondering about my Turket Trot results, so I'll share them here. I'll forewarn you that I think one of the clocks was wrong by an entire minute. As I passed the finish line it read 35:0x, with x being something less than 10. I'll explain all of the details in a second.


Turkey Trotting

First of all, the Buffalo YMCA Turkey Trot is the oldest continuously run foot race in America. This was the 111th consecutive race, running more continuous years than even the Boston Marathon. Last year they set a record of 6,500 runners, unheard of in local racing. This year they were hoping for that number again, but instead there was a turnout of (I believe) 8,260. I'm thinking that at some point they're going to have to limit the number of entrants. 10,000 would be sweet!

So I positioned myself close to the starting line since I was planning on running it as a race instead of a fun run. Somehow I passed about 20 people for every one who passed me and still managed to finish 509th overall (473rd male). I'm not complaining, just wondering how many people must have been lined up ahead of me. Maybe I should be more careful in selecting a place to start.

With all of the results tallied, I finished 45/342 for my age group (males 25-29) which I think is somewhat of an accomplishment. Plus as an added special bonus, my parents came out to watch. I always hope that they'll show up, and this year there they were on the sidelines (curb) cheering as I ran by. Talk about a boost, I was flying after that! Thanks again mom and dad.

At the end of the race, I just kept running through the finish line (with a short pause to turn in my timing chip); I had to run almost all the way back to the starting line to get my car. I left it at Delaware Park for those of you who know what that means, and it turned out to be the ideal spot. I had no traffic with which to contend, no parking issues and it was 1.25 miles from the starting line, a perfect warmup.

On the way back I passed a few kids and one said to the other one "He's going the wrong way." to which his brother replied "No, he's already finished". The kid looked up at me with the look of astonishment and asked if I won the race. I should have lied and told him I did, and that if he ate his vegetables he could win someday too, but I told the truth and kept going. The line of runners/walkers stretched all the way back to my parents' neighborhood (2-3 miles back towards the starting line) before I passed the sweepers (the trucks that follow the last person). Man that's a lot of people!


Well, that's about it for me. I'll holler at y'all later. Oh, and do NOT go see Babel (the movie). It sucked.

Over and Out,
Old Coot

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Must... get... new... Rantings... Going through withdrawal... Where is my brohams?

Anonymous said...

Holy crap, I just got something you emailed me... about the finish line pictures... Windy Knees! Oh, remember him? Poor thing... Ahh, but that's funny, to be sure.

WV: just how I'm feeling right about now: aaaym. :-o

Anonymous said...

What the f dude.... although it bores me to tears, at least running is something to read about. Get off your ass already!

Ahem....

Thank you.

"Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him.' and I just took off." -Pre