Snowshoe Racing…What was I Thinking?

I’m always up for trying a new adventure and that’s probably never going to change.  Because of this, I decided to enter a snowshoe race – actually, I entered two of them, but the first one was cancelled due to a lack of snow.  😦  Not to be discouraged by the abysmal snow in the majority of the Cascade Mountains, I headed down to Oregon Saturday night to visit with my cousin for a bit before Sunday’s main event, the White River Snowshoe 4k/8k put on by X Dog Events.

Saturday night, we went to dinner and then drove into town to go to see Saving Mr. Banks starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as P. L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins.  I’m a huge Disney fan and one of my favorite movies just happens to be Mary Poppins so I was super excited to see how hard Disney had to work to obtain the rights to the movie….and it didn’t disappoint.  If you get the chance to go and see it, I highly recommend it (though leave the young children at home as it is not really a kids movie).

Sunday morning dawned with bluebird skies and I headed east on the Mt. Hood Highway through Government Camp and down to the White River West Sno Park, the starting area for this year’s event.  After getting checked in and picking up my race number, I had some time to just wander around and admire the beauty of the day (and try to get familiar with the settings on my new GoPro camera I had just purchased)

You couldn’t ask for a better venue to hold a race…

It wasn’t long before the parking lot was full and hundreds of racers were gathered around anxiously awaiting the start, but first we had to receive a few race guidelines (like make sure you follow the yellow cones and the orange flags in the snow).  And then, with a mighty blow of the conch shell, we were off….

Best starting gun ever!!!

After a fast start, it wasn’t long before the field started to spread out

While walking in snowshoes is relatively easy – they say once you walk ten steps without falling down, you are a pro – running in snowshoes is an entirely different matter.  It’s like being a little kid and trying to run down the hall with your mother’s shoes on.  It definitely takes a bit of getting used to and I’ll admit, there was at least one face plant on my part (nope, no photo taken of that so you are just going to have to imagine it).

The snow wasn’t great as we haven’t had any snow for the past week and there were parts of the trail that were barely covered, but that didn’t stop us from having fun.  The course was a loop, the 4k event did one loop, while the 8k event completed two loops.  And while the course looks really flat, it’s more of a gradual climb for the first half as you make your way up the valley and then downhill for the remainder of the course

One of the steep sections involved climbing out of the valley

Before long, we were making our way through the trees and back towards the start line…..and that’s when it happened.  One minute, I was jogging along having a grand old time and the next thing you know, I was missing a snowshoe and face first in the snow….Luckily there weren’t very many people around (I’m sure it looked rather graceful funny).  Oh well,  laying in the snow was a great way to cool off.

One important thing to remember for next year, bring a water bottle as there wasn’t any water on the course (other than the frozen kind and the river, neither of which I was too keen to drink from).  While there was a “temptation station” on the course, the beverage of choice at it was Coors Light and since I don’t drink, that wasn’t an option either.

Temptation Station

And just like that, we were back at the finish line…..definitely not first, but not last either, so I’ll count that as a personal win.  The way I figure it, I lapped everybody who stayed at home on the couch at least once.  🙂

…Until the next adventure

Run or Dye – St. Paul Edition

It seems like just a couple of years ago that obstacle course races were the events to run – Warrior Dash, Survivor Mud Run, Hell Run, Muddy Buddy to name a few – 5k obstacle races that involved climbing over/under or around various obstacles and all had lots and lots of mud.

Then color runs seemed to get gain forward momentum – 5k runs with no obstacles, but in various locations on the course, as you were running you were covered in colored powder.

Last year, when I was back in Minnesota to donate a kidney to a family member, one of my cousins said she wanted to do a 5k with me sometime in the future. So this year, when I knew I was going back I messaged her on Facebook and told her to pick a race. Guess what one she picked??? You got it….the Run or Dye 5k.

According to the event organizer’s website, the Run or Dye is an untimed 5k that is billed as the “world’s most colorful fun run” where runners, walkers, skippers, dancers (basically anybody) are coming together to “celebrate life, friendship, and fun in a spectacular fusion of fitness and color”.

Saturday morning was chilly and gray in St. Paul as we made our way through traffic to find parking and get to the start line on Harriett Island.  There wasn’t any parking at the site itself, but the event planners had parking garages reserved and a couple of different loading zones where the runners could be taken by bus to the start line.  We opted to walk since we parked right across the bridge from the start line.  There were plenty of people already lined up as we crossed the bridge.

My cousin and I made our way down to the start line where we merged with the thousands upon thousands of other runners waiting for our turn to start.  Colored powder was thrown by participants intermittently and it wasn’t too long before everybody had at least some color on them….and the race hadn’t even started.

Lots of people waiting to run at the St. Paul stop of the 2013 Run or Dye series

Lots of colored cornstarch flying through the air, ensuring everyone has been dyed before the race begins

A successful dye job before the race even starts.

Once we went through the start line, we were immediately splashed with orange and green and the tie-dyeing had begun.  The course itself wasn’t all that special, a mostly flat out and back route.  Because of the late spring, (it had snowed a few days before) nothing had really started to leaf out yet, though I imagine once the trees have got their leaves, the course would be quite beautiful.

And we’re off. Let the colors fly!

At the halfway point, we were again doused with colored powder (this time yellow).  Because of all the powder in the air, it was actually quite difficult to see as you made your way through the color stations so we decided to walk through them in order to prevent stumbling into somebody or stepping into a pothole.

A beautiful out and back course along the banks of the Mississippi River.

I’m not sure what it is about finish lines that always seem to need to have an uphill right before them….this one was no exception.  Maybe I’m just not a big fan of running uphill but I would so rather have them at the beginning of the course than at the end.  Right before we crossed the finish line, it was time to get doused once more in color (in the off chance that you weren’t colorful enough).

Not dyed enough? Don’t worry, that’s taken care of just before you cross the finish line.

I have to hand it to the volunteers, it was cold out there and they seemd to be having as much fun as the participants.  I greatly appreciated that they did their best not to throw any of the color at participants faces (it probably helped that I’m 6 feet tall).  All in all, I think this is the type of event that the bigger group of friends you can find to participate in the craziness with you, the more fun the event will be.  I’m not sure I would take young children to it as there was more than one child that was in tears after getting powder in their eyes or mouth.

And just in case you still have your color packet, it’s time to “dye the sky” at the after party.

My one disappointment in this event…..in the email sent out prior to the event listing all the important information about packet pick up, start times, transportation, etc….in bold letters, it said “Spectators were not encouraged to attend!”  Seriously?  I get that the buses were there to get the participants to the event, but it also wasn’t that far of a walk.  If anything, a crowd would have been great as it is the crowd’s enthusiasm that manages to bring a smile to a runner’s face especially when they are cold, tired and just want to be done.  There were plenty of places people could have watched form where they wouldn’t have been “colored”.  If you want an event to grow year after year, why would you discourage spectators?

Off to the Races……the Camel Races

Yes, you read correctly, camel racing….and it all supposedly started with a slow week of news in Virginia City, Nevada, in 1957.

As history legend tells it, the then editor of Nevada’s first newspaper, the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, Bob Richards, invented a story about camel races that were supposed to take place on Labor Day of that year, as a way to escape the boredom of a slow news week.  Apparently, there were follow up stories and then, just days befor the event was to take place, it was cancelled for some reason.  He apparently enjoyed his prank on the people, as he reportedly ran similar stories in 1958, and again in 1959, always finding some reason to cancel the races at the last minute.

In early August 1960, the now annual story ran again, this time with an entry deadline of late August.  Shortly before the deadline, the paper enthusiastically reported that this year there really were camels coming with entries from the Phoenix Gazette, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Indio J.C’s.

In that part of the country to film “The Misfits”, with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, movie producer John Houston rode the Gazette’s entry to an easy victory, one of which was ridden by legendary jockey, Billy Pearson.  According to the offical program guide for this years race, the reason for the convincing win was one of the camels never left the starting gate and the other decided to take a tour through Piper’s Opera House on B Street. Supposedly 8000 people came out to watch that first race and it has been happening ever since.

A camel jockey rides towards the finish line at the 2012 International Camel Races in Virginia City, Nevada.

I’d never heard of camel racing before, so seeing as I was in Reno for the Great Reno Balloon Race anyways, and Virginia City is only 30 miles from Reno, it was a great event to check out after the hot air balloon launch in the morning.  Admission wasn’t terrible, $12 for adults/$8 for seniors, military, and kids ages 5-12 – definitely worth it for a couple of hours of watching people race exotic animals as it’s definitely unpredictable – if you don’t believe me, just ask the kid on the ostrich that decided halfway through the race to go into a tight spin until the rider came off and then kept spinning.

A unknown rider takes a literal spin on an ostrich during the 2012 International Camera Races in Virginia City, Nevada

In addition to camel racing, there is ostrich racing (riders can weigh no more than 150 lbs though the birds are capable of carrying a much heavier rider), emu racing, ostrich chariot racing, and for the first time, zebra racing made an appearance at this year’s event.

Zebra racing made its debut at the 2012 International Camera Races in Virgina City, Nevada.

For more information on Virginia City’s Camel Races, please visit http://www.visitvirginiacitynv.com/events/major-special-events.html

Up, Up and Away – the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race

Let me start off by saying I’m just a little bit behind way behind on writing any posts from the various places I have visited over the last couple of months.  Way behind is an understatement, as I haven’t even begun to go through the thousands of photos that have been taken this year…..slow and steady and I might actually get caught up by the year 2025….

For years I’ve wanted to visit the largest free hot air balloon event in the country, the Great Reno Balloon Race, held the weekend after Labor Day every year, this year on September 7-9, 2012.  Unfortunately, the timing has just never worked out as there was somebody on vacation at work or other scheduling conflicts that invaribly would come up.  This year, however, the stars were aligned (or maybe the winds were just blowing in the right direction) and I was able to take a long weekend and fly to Reno to photograph this event.

Hot air balloons during the cold inflation process at the Great Reno Balloon Race.

For those not familiar with hot air balloon events, let me tell you, they start very early (you definitely want to be there before sun up to find a good vantage point and take in all the hullaballoo that goes along with the events from watching the balloon envelopes being laid out, the pre-firing of the burners, the cold inflation process, until finally the balloons are inflated and as a group they rise in a mass ascension as the suns rays start to warm the day.

Darth Vadar rises above the multitude of balloons at the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race.

The Great Reno Balloon Race does a really spectacular thing called the Dawn Patrol.  Seven specially trained hot air balloon pilots take to the skies before the sun comes up and fly over the skies of Reno in the pre dawn hours giving spectators the thrill of seeing their hot air balloons lit up against a deep blue sky (and the moon).

Balloons during the glow in at the Great Reno Balloon Race

There is also a Glow In in the morning before the mass ascension in which 7-9 balloons stay on the ground and perform a synchronized light show.  This year, they attempted to do “Dueling Banjo’s” with a couple of balloons acting as the “banjos” and a couple of balloons acting as the “guitars”….it’s quite a spectacle especially once they all get going towards the end of the song.

The hot air balloon, “Free Spirit”, piloted by Dana Thornton participates in the Dawn Patrol at the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race

After the Dawn Patrol and the Glow In, two balloons (this year there was only one as the envelope of the other was damaged and needed to be reparied) take to the skies – one displaying the US Flag and the other displaying the State of Nevada flag – as the “Star Spangled Banner” is sung by a local artist.  As the balloons slowly rise in the skies, there is a fly over performed by T-6 aircraft.  After that, the remaining pilots begin inflating their balloons and as the sun warms the spectators, they launch to go wherever the winds carry them…….

Close to 100 balloons take to the skies above Reno in the 2012 Great Reno Balloon Race.

Changing Lives via Facebook

Facebook – you either love it or you hate it.  For me personally, I like it most of the time, as it enables me to keep in touch with friends and family that I don’t get to see nearly as often as I would like.

In February 2011, I saw a post from a cousin of mine back in Minnesota that would provide me the opportunity to start an amazing journey, though I didn’t know at the time just how truly an amazing journey it would be… a simple post… that’s all it took to change lives, mine included.

My cousin put a post up that said her mom and brother weren’t a match for her dad who was in need for a kidney and provided the phone number to the University of Minnesota Transplant Center if anybody was interested in being tested.  After thinking about it for a week or so (and putting Google to some serious use) I decided to give the number a call; and with that one simple phone call, the journey began…

After giving some basic medical history over the phone, the first test was a simple blood typing test – I was O+, making me a universal donor; and my cousin is AB, making him a universal recipient – so far, so good.  After that, more blood tests were performed including an antigen match and a crossmatch test (tests whether the recipient cells react will with the donor cells).  At each step in the testing process, I was asked repeatedly whether or not I wanted to continue testing and to make sure that nobody was pressuring me to be tested.

A minor set back occurred in June, when I was told I wouldn’t be a match but that I could sign up to be a paired donor if I desired.  I was definitely disappointed but figured, if I was a match for someone else and their perspective donor was a match for my cousin, then so be it, both would benefit.

Fast forward to November and a phone call out of the blue from the University of Minnesota Transplant Center.  New research has come up where the specific antibody I had doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue as it was once thought to be and more testing resumed.  After a few more blood tests in Washington, I was determined to be a match and was asked to come to Minnesota for further testing.

So in January, I made the trip to Minnesota….my original plan was to spend the week in Phoenix, and run the Rock and Roll Phoenix Half Marathon as a birthday present to myself.  Instead, I spent the majority of the week in Minnesota with family and went to Phoenix for the weekend.

The testing in January was a whirlwind, taking the whole day.  It included an EKG, chest x-ray, more blood tests (HIV, Hepatitis B & C, kidney function, liver function, possible virus exposures, and tests for anemia)and urine tests, blood pressure, medical history, and a CT scan.  I also had to meet with a nephrologist, a transplant surgeon, my transplant coordinator, and a social worker.  Then I was sent home to wait – and let me tell you, waiting for that phone call was excruciating.

Fast forward to the end of February.  The surgery date was scheduled for March 29th.  I kept pretty quiet about the whole process prior to it actually happening as I was afraid I would it would jinx it the more people that knew (silly, I know, but it’s the way it is).

March 29th got here really, really quick after that.  Doug and I (and the rest of our entourage) had to be at the University of Minnesota at 5:30 am.  Our family members had the hard job of waiting.  Like I told Doug, we had it easy, all we had to do was go to sleep and wake up when it was over.

As you can see, the surgery went really well for both of us, and after a couple of days in the hospital I was discharged to recover.  Doug spent a few more days in the hospital and then had to make multiple trips back before getting meds sorted out so that he was no longer nauseous.  I returned home the first part of May, just in time to walk the Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon in Portland (with my surgeon’s approval, of course).

People have asked me why I chose to donate a kidney to my cousin.  The answer is simple, Doug has three grandchildren*, one of whom is two years old.  I want them to have as great of memories with their grandfather as I had with mine.

*Doug is still doing well and is now the proud grandpa of a new set of twins!

If you are interested in becoming a living organ donor, the American Transplant Foundation has great information.  You can visit their site at www.americantransplantfoundation.org

To Tri or Not To Tri

The event – Seattle’s RainMan Indoor Triathlon

It was with great trepidation that I drove towards Green Lake last Sunday morning as I was nervous about my first triathlon attempt.  I can swim, but I definitely don’t consider myself a swimmer.  The Seattle RainMan Indoor Triathlon was the perfect event to determine whether or not I enjoyed the sport of triathlon.  A typical triathlon is composed of a swim, bike, and run and the RainMan event was no different.  What makes it unique though, is that it is composed of a lap swim, your bike on an indoor trainer, and then a run around Green Lake.

After horrendous traffic into and through downtown Seattle, I barely made it to Green Lake in time to find parking, get checked in, and get my number written on my arm and calf and it was time to start. 

The swim was a bit difficult as I’m not used to sharing a lane with another swimmer and there was constant bumping into one another as he chose to swim the breast stroke for the swim leg.

Competitors try to swim as many laps as they can in the 15 minute swim leg of the Seattle RainMan Indoor Triathlon.

After 15 minutes, it was time to exit the pool and get on the bikes.  During our swim, volunteers had moved our bikes from the staging area and placed them on indoor trainers that were calibrated to our body weight so that they simulated riding on a road.  After finding my bike, toweling off, and getting my bike shoes on, it was time to pedal for 30 minutes.

Competitors pedal for 30 minutes during the bike leg of the Seattle RainMan Indoor Triathlon

After 30 minutes went by, we all jumped off our bikes and changed into our running shoes to take a lap around Green Lake.  It was grey and windy, typical Washington weather, and very chilly running around the lake as it seemed that there was a constant head wind for the entire 3 miles.  The run took me longer tha I would have liked, but I’m okay with that; I know I’m not a fast runner. 

After dodging other runners, people out walking, and kids out riding their bikes for 3 miles, the finish line was a very welcome sight.

The finish line was a grand sight after running a lap around Green Lake

After a successful first triathlon, I think I’m definitely going to have to try this sport again in the near future.  I know that there is one in Federal Way in July that I would like to tri.

*I apologize for the bad photos but I only had my cell phone with me.

“Bloomies” Invade Spokane for the 34th Annual Bloomsday

 

 

 “Bloomies” were lined up for blocks in eager anticipation of their respective waves to surge across the start line and begin the 7.46 mile race through the streets of downtown Spokane.  There is a saying that “Charity begins in the home” – well during Bloomsday, it begins before the start line as runners discard their layers of clothing and throw them into the trees lining the course.  After the race, all the clothing is picked up and donated to local charities to help people in need.The 2010 Bloomsday run kicked off with a bang Sunday morning.  Roads were closed to vehicular traffic, the lines for the porta-potties were long, and 55,088 runners and walkers lined the streets of downtown Spokane waiting in eager anticipation for their waves to start.  I frantically watched from the shuttle bus for a spot to replenish the batteries that were dead in my mom’s camera as I had managed to misplace mine and she was letting me borrow hers to take photos on the course.  Thanks Mom!  Batteries replenished, it was time to line up for the start and all I could see was the tops of people’s heads. 

 More than 20 bands, playing everything from rock ‘n’ roll to accordians, lined the course at various points to entertain the runners as they gasped their way along the course.

The course began in downtown Spokane, before running through a cemetery and by Spokane Community College.  Before you were even aware of the time passing, suddenly you rounded a corner and saw what was before you…..the dreaded “Doomsday Hill”

For those that made it to the top of “Doomsday Hill” they were greeted by a giant vulture, circling and waiting for those runners that were still alive to pass by…

The fastest runners were finished before my race even started…Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya took 1st for the women in a blistering 38:10 and setting a world’s best 12k road time, while Peter Kirui, also of Kenya claimed 1st for the men with a time of 34:28 in his first attempt at Bloomsday.

Stomping Out Breast Cancer, One Snowshoer at a Time

     Saturday, February 20, 2010 saw something quite remarkable and special happen at Snoqualmie Pass.  Nearly 750 snowshoers, many of them first timers, took over the Iron Horse trail for a few hours to help find a cure for breast cancer.  It was the first of many Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer event in Washington.Started in 2003, the Romp to Stomp series has grown to feature events in 6 states and an event in Canada.

The day dawned bright and clear at the Snoqualmie Summit and even the cars were decorated to support breast cancer research.  Due to a lack of snow in the Snoqualmie Pass area, the course was changed at 6:00 in the morning and the new course would be along the Iron Horse Trail a very popular trail for cross-country skies.  All of the skiers on the course this morning deserved a big heartfelt thank-you for being so understanding as all of the snowshoers wrecked havoc on the groomed trail.  And while there were a few mumbles and grumbles from passing skiers, the majority were very encouraging.  Even the cars got into the spirit of the event.

Tubbs, the national sponser of the Romp to Stomp series, brought hundreds of pairs of snowshoes for participants to demo.

 

The first event of the day was a 3k run.  Snowshoers of all ages and abilities lined up at the start and waited for the air horn to send them on their way.  Running in snowshoes is a bit on the awkward side and the runners did great.  Less than 20 minutes later, the first of the runners were back crossing the finish line in triumph. 

Then it was time for the main event.  Walkers had the option of doing a 3k or extending their adventure and completeing a 5k.  Rompers of every ability gathered at the start line and were released in waves beneath the sun lit skies.  Pink was the color of the day as participants dressed in a variety of fun costumes ranging from pink tutus, pink hair, and pink feather boas to a man in a penguin costume.  Some of the youngest participants were in backpack baby carriers while other little ones had the luxury of being pulled on a sled behind mom or dad. 

Before long, we reached the 5k turn around point and started to make our way back to the start line passing along the way a trail grooming machine to restore the trail that had been chewed up by snowshoes.  As more and more of the snowshoers crossed the finish line, it was time for congratulating one and other.  Breast cancer survivors that participated had a big group hug in front of onlookers.  1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.  For me, the reason to participate was very personal. I snowshoed in memory of my Great-Grandmother who died from breast cancer, my Grandmother beat breast cancer twice in her lifetime; and in celebration of my Mom who is one of the strongest people I know and definitely succeed in kicking breast cancer. 

For more information about the Romp to Stomp series, please visit:  http://tubbsromptostomp.com/

For more information about Komen for the Cure, please visit: http://ww5.komen.org/

 In total, 745 snowshoers raised $28,512. to benefit Komen for the Cure.