The Kewash Half Marathon.

'Twas the Morning before Easter...  And  Runners from across the country, prepared for another 13.1 miles through the blustery and cold Iowa landscape.   With little regard for safety,  they braved the wilderness down abandoned railroad tracks and across muddy pits.   This... Is their story.

Cheryl at the Start.

Did you like the "Law and Order" opening?   For a brief moment I could have went another direction and added something about the Jesus or the Easter Bunny.. But that wouldn't seem appropriate.   Besides... they will have all day tomorrow to themselves.   Today... Was a day for the Runners.  So let us begin...

The medal

Cheryl at the Finish...

Cheryl and her sidekick er... running "buddy" ran the Kewash Trail half marathon.   They both did pretty good considering the conditions.   And neither of them got a PR for their efforts.  But they DID win trophies.   

The Dynamic Duo.

Mike... Won a Mug. 

The time(s)

Cheryl won a Mug  AND $50.00  Bucks!   WAY TO GO HONEY!   Time to quit our jobs and take this running thing to the NEXT LEVEL! 

The Major Award!

Neither of us wanted to work in the first place.  And after a week of scoring from the spacious confines of our Wellman Mansion/ Studio/Apartment... We are both ready to find alternate means of income.  Of course most of the burden will be on me, as I work hard to write about Cheryl's exploits and continue to draw chalk murals in the Park.  I guess we both do not have to quit our jobs at the same time.   Cheryl can continue working and running at 5 A.M. while I sleep in and work on the publicity.  I think that sounds fair. 

But enough about our retirement plans for the future...  Let us talk about the momentous event at hand...

The Zakoseks!

The Runner (s).

It was an early morning wake up and we swooped by to pick up the Zakoseks at the Pull-Er-Inn in Kalona.  We drove the Silver Bullet Subie to Washington to await the race start time an hour and 15 minutes early.  Time, that could have been spent sleeping, was wasted talking about the wind, the cold, and possible  competition.   All while complaining that they were too cold.   Talk about crybabies!  

The Start!

Pam was with me on this one as Support.    ( Someone has to be the Adults in the room.)  And so after a number of moments running between space heaters,  the sun eventually rose up to warm the air ever so slightly.   The Anthem was played and the Runners were off!  

The Bubbles.

After the start,  Pam and I jumped in the Subie and raced to mile 2.5 to wait the runners.   Mike was number 5 and running hard.   We barely got out of the car before the first several runners ran by.   The Girl scouts were there handing out water, blowing bubbles and chalking on the sidewalk.    Obviously, they were doing all the right things.  ( because,  these are things I would do if I was in charge of a water station....)   But Pam did not trust them.

The Refusal!

She grabbed water and tried to hand it to Mike as he passed by.   Mike refused... OR was running so fast he did not see it in time.  

The Straggler.

Shortly after that,  Cheryl appeared.    She was in the second female slot at that point.   When she passed by,  Pam and I loaded back into the Subie and raced to mile 6.

While at mile 6,  Pam, once again tried to give Mike some water.    He refused again!   (Or was running so fast he did not notice her...)   But at least she was able to get Cheryl some.    

Cheryl,  falling back to #3, was more than eager to take a sip of hydration.  After a few moments,  she was back on the trail.  

Finally,   at Mile 8,  Mike stopped for some water while Pam took his picture.   Pam also assisted Cheryl by grabbing her gloves as ran by.   With the wind to their backs,  the freezing cold that had been blowing them in the face turned to heat.   Funny how the wind not only slows you down but cools you off.  And when you are no longer running against it,  you suddenly begin to overheat. 

By the time we got to the Finish,  the first Female had already won the race.  ( She ran 13.1 miles in a blistering 1:15:04!   A new Record! )   She won $1000.00 for beating the previous record..  That SHE set a few years ago.  Mike finished 7th overall.  

The wind was constantly deflating the finish line and Mike had to limbo under the drooping arch as it blew around and eventually over.  At one point they removed the arch altogether!  But eventually, they fixed the issue and set it back up.   Just in time for Cheryl to come in and hold on to the #3 female slot. 

For her actions and bravery,  Cheryl got the 3rd place prize of $50 and a mug.  She said she was not even "trying," but still managed to hang on to 3rd place female overall.   Not too bad.   She was even close to her PR again this race.  

Did I mention Mike won a mug....  For his age group.  All that work and dedication to finish 7th overall and all they give you is a mug. (for his age group...)    Who says hard work doesn't pay off in the end?  

But the REAL Heroes of the day were the Supporters.   Pan handed out water and took in gloves and jackets from the runners while I took moving photos and wrote about the entire Experience.   We deserve a medal... OR a pat on the back.   ( Or handshake... or something....Anything!)

Instead... We celebrated at the Kalona Brewing Company.  Aside from the Cold French Fries,  the  experience was not terrible.   Though, Cheryl and I both agreed we have had better experiences there before.   That just goes to show you never talk up a place to people you may want to impress.   Because Murphy's law dictates that that one time you go to show it off, everything will go wrong.  ( Or at least everybody's French Fries will be cold before they get to your table. )

Relay Trophy.

Another long post.   And so much more to talk about.   But alas,   the blogging windows are getting shorter and the posts, when they do happen, end up being either really long or really, really short.

Washington PD relay team.

  So, I should probably end it here for now.  Pearson has authorized overtime for both Cheryl and myself, so we will probably be scoring tomorrow. On Easter!   This will be the first time in a long time we will not be coloring eggs.   So sad.   No wonder people hate work so much. 

Mike running through Bubbles.

So that is all!   Cheryl won another 3rd place overall Female Half Marathon Finisher... And $50 Bucks!  Mike finished 7th overall  ( #6 Male) and won a Mug.  All while Pam and I played Support.   Oh!  And the Washington PD beat the Wellman Fire Rescue relay team and retain the trophy and bragging rights for another year....Not a bad "Day before Easter" scenario;  wouldn't you say?    Thanks for stopping in.