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David Alexander
 May 18, 08 - 10:51 PM |
Another Beach to Bay Relay Marathon in the books
Yep, another B2BRM is history, and once again a good time was had by all... pretty much. We all descended upon Corpus Christi on Friday, first to the Expo for packet pick-up and later to the Gulfstream condos on Padre Island, where most of us were staying. Here we had our traditional pre-race meeting where we iron out the details of how we will get all the runners to their starting points, and then from their hand-off points to the finish line. This meeting featured more than the usual amount of head-scratching, as this year we had to coordinate the logistics for FOUR teams - plus, Kat Futrell was recruited to run with a ladies' team from San Antonio. Eventually we got it all sorted out, although I must admit I was a bit uneasy about it when I went to bed Friday night. But my worry was all for naught apparently, as everyone got to their transition points on time, and everyone got picked up and transported to the finish line OK. My compliments to all of our team members who got your assignments right and pulled this off! Well done! The weather couldn't have been any better if we had ordered it. Instead of the usual warm, humid, windy conditions, Saturday morning dawned cool and cloudy with very little humidity and light winds - perfect for running. After the race, the sun came out and the rest of the day was clear and very comfortable. Our #1 competitive team - were you guys the "SMiRCkers" again this year? - did not have a 100% good time. Things started downhill first thing Friday morning when they learned that one of their team members was bailing out on them. When you've been training together as hard as these guys had, for as long as they had, that's about the last thing you need the day before the race. Fortunately, Britt van Dine had been standing by as an alternate; and when he got the call, he jumped on his pony and headed south. Britt, UR Da Man!  Despite these heroics, Britt and the rest of the team - Captain Randall Wood, Doug Framke, Tim Bayliss, Phillip Adams and Richard Powell - just didn't do as well as they had hoped, for reasons I'm sure they will be cussing and discussing for months. They were shooting for 2:40 or better and a finish in the money; in spite of the last-minute turmoil, they turned in a 2:44:59 and finished 12th of 166 teams in the Open Men's division. So look, guys; pull in those lower lips  and stop beating yourselves up. You did a great job, and the SMRC is proud of you and the hard work and dedication you put into it.One of the team members, Richard Powell, departed right after the race, headed for the open arms of the Marine Corps and boot camp. Richard, thanks for the time you spent with us; you are a remarkable athlete and human being. Our thoughts will be with you in the days to come! And Team Captain Randall Wood departed immediately after his leg for Argentina, where he will be for the next few weeks working with Humanity's Team. Randall, you be safe down there and watch our for them mean llamas. As for the rest of the teams, our goals were a little less lofty. Our second team, the WOW women, WOWed us with a 3:47:48 finish for 8th place of 18 teams in the Masters Women division. Team members were Captain Elizabeth Wills, Sheila Torres-Blank, Eva Sanders, wonder woman Gina Moore, Angie Burke and Dawn Robarts - what a great bunch of gals! Team #3, including Team Captain Jessica Diaz, Liesela Austin, future bride Sharon Eads, Frank & Brigitte Payne and new homeowner Mark Brendalen, turned in a very nice 4:10:51 and finished 156th out of 648 teams in the Odds & Ends division. To Frank & Brigitte, our transplanted New Orleans buddies - we hope you enjoyed your first B2B! And then there was our good-time ("We're Just Here for the Beer") team, Fiesta (Siesta?) on Foot, which started slow and then tapered to a 4:47:38 finish for a place well back in the Odds & Ends division. But Team Captain Laura Mason, Elma Minor, Diana Esparza, David Alexander, Teresa Medina and Charlene Martinez - we're proud, right? We finished before noon, right? Kat Futrell, who ran with a team of ladies from San Antonio, had her pre-race meeting with her team while standing in the check-out line at the H.E.B. But it was enough, apparently; Kat ran the first leg and got her team off to a 4:17:41 finish for 48th place of 179 teams in the Open Women's division. Kat, since we didn't have a team in that division, we'll let it go... this time! We all got to the finish line afterwards for photos and  and war stories and the absorption of pizza and beer and what-have-you. Mike and Elizabeth Wills were on hand with training tips on how to procure beer without getting your bib marked!Afterward we repaired back to the Gulfstream, where the post-race festivities began. Some of our more senior members began the festivities with a nice nap, while the youth availed themselves of the Gulf, the pool and the hot tub. |
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David Alexander
May 18th, 2008 - 11:11 PM |
Another Beach to Bay Relay Marathon in the books Part 2
We had had previous experience with going out as a large group on Saturday night for dinner, the crowds, long lines, long waits, etc.; and this year we decided to have a cookout at the condo instead. It was a bit late in the evening before it all came together, but eventually I think it was worth the wait. Most of us had hamburgers and hot dogs and the usual accompaniments, supplemented by Brigitte Payne's super Chinese cole slaw and some guacamole and pico de gallo from Eva Sanders that was outstanding. Thank you, ladies for your tasty contributions! Another group staying in one of the other condos went gourmet on us and had shrimp kabobs, which I must say looked pretty darn good. But eventually we all got sufficiently fed and watered, after which the only thing left to do was to hit the pool and hot tub until they closed it down and ran us off around 11 p.m. Sunday morning we began to depart in waves. The last wave of us left right at noon, where we indulged in the following B2B traditional rituals: 1. The obligatory visit to purchase beach-type curios 2. The obligatory ride on the ferry at Port Aransas 3. The obligatory lunch at Whataburger! without which the weekend is not complete! All in all, I think we had a great time. Congratulations to all our teams and team members for representing the SMRC so well at this great event. Thanks to everyone for participated and drove, and to the spouses who came and supported us! And thanks to my wife, Linda, for serving as Club Team Mom and general fill-in-the gaps trooper! David 
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Tim Bayliss
May 19th, 2008 - 4:07 PM |
Re: Another Beach to Bay Relay Marathon in the books
Excellent summary David! Good times had by all. Now everyone can look forward to a period of recovery as the weather begins to heat up. Congrats to all our teams! |
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