A crazy event with a crazy crowd!

So every year, G's BFF (yes she has more than one, I have to share her) organizes a run in memory of her dead cat. (I assume it's dead.) Well, I say every year, but I believe this was actually only the 3rd annual such run. Anyway, the first year I got injured, the second year I can't remember why I missed it (probably because G skipped it AGAIN due to baseball, but, since the Red Sox got creamed and ousted early this year, she was available). The logistics (in theory) are very cool... it's a staggered start, so everyone estimates how long they'll take to run the distance, and the slowest go first, then the next slowest, etc.. with the idea that (assuming everyone was honest) everyone will cross the finish line at the same time.

2011 PusHy Run runners - the winner has the kitty ears on ... can you spot them??

Of course, however, people aren't honest. Or overestimate, just to be safe :) Plus most of us are super competitive.. we can't really play nice. And then there are the 'added value' elements that make the run crazy. Last year's runners had to down babyfood at the halfway point apparently... what we'd have to do this year was anybody's guess.

A (who'd agreed to join us only if he could be a cheerleader cuz he was nursing a knee injury, uh huh) was our fantabulous time keeper/starter. P was our half-way surpriser. In the first group, off went G with 2 others. 3 minutes later, it was my turn along with the handsome fellow on the far right of the photo. "I haven't run in 6 months" quipped he earlier... didn't stop him from dashing off like a mad man on fire though. I wasn't about to let him get ahead of me but I was definitely a) wondering how the heck I was gonna maintain such an insane pace for 3 miles and b) wondering if my timekeeping skills were as bad as my math skills because this did NOT feel like a 10-minute mile pace! (He eventually paid for his foolishness which was compounded by the halfway surprise but that's another matter entirely.)

The rest of the 9 followed in a few more groupings, and the race was on. As I rounded the last curve (dirt road, hilly, at the base of Camel's Hump mountain) before the halfway point, G and her group were coming toward me. G was grimacing. "You're NOT gonna like that!" Oh GREAT. Just fabulous.

When I got to P though, and saw the bottle of liquor he was holding - i thought, ha! Piece of cake!  I got to him, took the shot glass and with a quick "cheers" downed whatever it was (think I'm too trusting?), gave the glass back, turned around and started the run back. I had a fire in my belly now. Good GOD what WAS that shit!? It was good, don't get me wrong, but $#%^&(!!!! Very glad I'd had breakfast. (Unlike my unfortunate starting partner whose breakfast WAS the shot. Ouch.) Determined not to let anything slow me down, I cranked up my pace a notch, and caught up with the threesome ahead of me. (Thankfully I hadn't gotten passed yet.) I caught up, and sped up some more. Maybe a shot of something should be part of every run? This was pretty cool! P bombed past me on his motorbike... guess that meant everyone had passed the halfway line... if I was gonna get passed, now would be the time. Go faster feet, faster!

G got some fire of her own and started a mad dash after me "that's my partner!!!!" she was yelling in her head, and pretty soon we had the finish line in sight. I saw A's smiling face and was practically pleading as I got near... "PLEEEEEASE tell me this is the finish line and I can stop!!??"

P was back there at this point too and had an almost evil grin on his face. "Well, you can't win until you drink this" he says, handing me a beer. GOOD GOD. REALLY?? Hmm... well I AM parched... and it's a nasty light beer, so other than the bubbles, just like water right? HAHAHAHA. Not nearly. But I managed to chug my way to victory. And G? The Runner Up (yes, of course she chugged too). Yeah!!! Hungry Dragons Dominate! (We won't mention anyone lowballing times or getting disqualified for not imbibing, or any of that stuff, as that would dilute the story and our victory.)

Anyway, it was a good laugh, a good time, and was followed by a phenomenal feast up at P's and K's (the BFF of the dead cat) amazing house. Life is good.