stalking, restraining orders and The Northface Endurance Challenge

It was my third year volunteering for Northface Endurance Challenge in DC.  I really enjoy this event (I guess that is why I've volunteered there for the last three years.)  The only bad thing about the Endurance Challenge is that I have to get up at 3 am to make it to the park by 5 am.  Always a rough morning.  Becky, Megan and I headed out to meet Bill and the other volunteers to start our day of volunteering.  I was super excited to see Dean Karnazes again. (if you remember correctly he sort of had a crush on me last year when we met in the food tent)

Yeah he has his eye on me!  

This year I didn't get to stalk talk to Dean.  He sent the runners off and the headed somewhere.  I was not quick enough to follow him.  I thought he was going to come back.  Next year I will be a better stalker fan and follow him around.

He did walk past and said hi and touched Megan's shoulder.  I hope his eyes are not wondering to Megan now!  I'm sure that is not the case because as you can tell in the picture from last year he clearly has eyes only for me.  

On Saturday The Northface has three races running through Great Falls, VA, a 50 miler, a 50K and a marathon.  This Saturday it was supposed to get up in the 90's (and I am pretty sure that it did.)  The runners were great, but you could tell that the heat was really taking a toll on their race.

Becky and I were manning the bib marking areas before most of the runners were going to start to make their loop or loops through Great Falls.  This is our third time doing this, so we have a pretty good system down.  Becky loves marking the runners bibs too.  So we were really excited!

Then the Northface guy known today as Peter Pan comes and breaks the news to us.  We just need to write down their numbers, the people near the loop will be marking the bibs as they run the 7 mile loop.  Becky was really sad.  She looked forward to marking the guys bibs that were placed on the front of their shorts.  So after Becky came to the realization that she was not going to be feeling up random guys marking bibs we settled in for our first runner.

Look who is running towards us..

It is local runner Michael Wardian!  He was probably 4th or 5th when he got to us (he ran the 50 miler) and then when he left us at mile 35 he was in first place!  He ended up winning with an average pace of 8:09 (yeah that is pretty close to my 50 mile pace)  

Becky and I were having fun writing down the bib numbers.  Runners were not as close together as in years past..the heat was really slowing a lot of people down.  Which worked in our favor because we didn't have to write down fifty peoples bib numbers at one time.  Most people looked surprisingly well.  The 50 milers started at 5 am so when they got 19 miles in and to us they were not looking too bad.  Now when they left us at mile 35 that was a different story.  The people who really started to look bad were the marathoners who had the latest start of all of the runners (I think they may have started at 9 am.)  I had a fair amount of runners take DNF's from 11:30 on.  The heat was just brutal on those runners yesterday.  We were concerned about the mad rush of marathoners we were expecting and writing down their numbers, but it never really happened.  Because of the heat the marathoners were much slower and really spread out on the course.  One man told me he didn't see another runner until mile 9 which is really unusual.  As the marathoners were starting to dwindle down, Becky was pulled to work at the aid station near the loop.  The fifty milers had to run 3 loops so this was a pretty busy aid station late in the day.  I headed over to the aid station near my area to talk to Megan Jen, Charlie and Northface guy known as Unicorn (you can't make up these nicknames folks!)  I helped hold down a chair and chat with runners while keeping an eye out for any marathoners.  

It was a hot day for runner and volunteers.  Megan and I needed a nice cold coke like nobody's business!  So while walking back with our cold beverages, we see two girls eyeing up our cokes like junkies trying to score their next hit.  So since we love runners we gave these girls our cold cokes to help them get through the last leg of their 50K.  Yeah runners are great people!  

As we are sitting around chatting working hard, a runner comes over to ask Megan if she can walk on his back.  His weighted vest (who wears a weighted vest to run a 50k??) is causing his back to hurt.  So Megan being the nice person that she is decides to kill random guy and let all of the other runners know this is what happens when you mess with the family (Godfather style!).  

 I don't know about you, but when you are trying to walk on someones back and do your best godfather speech you need a man named Unicorn to help you balance.  :)

(no runner was actually harmed in the following pictures)  Runner 919 did survive and wanted us to have a picture of the weighted vest which caused his problems.  I told him to look sad since the vest was horrid to him! lol  Ah the people that you meet while volunteering!

We also met up with some Marathon Maniacs.  They wanted our picture together since Megan told them that she is a Half Fanatic and trying to become a double agent and join the Marathon Maniacs.

Speaking of people you meet while volunteering...Charlie was in charge of us near the aid station/bib check.  I noticed while I was holding down a chair at the aid station that people were asking Charlie for a picture.  Hmm  I want to know why.  Maybe I want my picture with Charlie too!  Megan told me I should ask Charlie what he does, which I did.  It took thirty minutes to get out of him what he really did.  Charlie Engle...

is an Ultra runner.  He ran across the US and has ran the Sahara Dessert!  He has a documentary about running the Sahara.  I quickly gave Charlie my full name so he can start the paperwork for the restraining order he may need to file.  After that I felt like I got to interview him.  I just kept asking questions about his life.  So interesting!  Who goes out to run what they thought was a 10K race his longest race yet (which turns out that it was a 100K race in Australia) and ends up winning his first 100K race?!   Crazy!  He is also running Badwater in 6 weeks.  Ummm..hello I know who I going to add to my stalking list! :)  Charlie was really nice and funny made the end of the volunteering job lots of fun!  

After our day of volunteering Bill, Liana, Becky, Megan I all met up for dinner since someone was older today than they were yesterday!  Happy Birthday Megan!!  

Friends with Dean Karnazes and crazy Endurance runners

So yesterday we headed over to Great Falls, VA to get our volunteering on.  This is our second year volunteering at The North Face Endurance Challenge.  I'm always in awe of the people and families that run such long distances.  It really is a family running thing..I've seen more parents, spouses, kids and friends hanging out all day and so concerned about getting everything ready for their runner, making sure that they didn't miss them because they are going to need (Gatorade, new socks, clean shoes, pb&j sandwich..etc).  It truly is a team effort running these kinds of races. 

I got up at 2:45am to make it to Megan's place by 4 am. and then we were on the road and headed to Great Falls by 5 am.  Ugh..I don't get up that early to go to my own races!  We got there at 5 and met up with other run club volunteers.  I look over and I spy my running crush...

Dean Karnazes a.k.a. Karno!  I start to get giddy..not sure if it because I have spotted my running crush or if it is because I'm lacking sleep from getting up so early.  He looks much shorter than what I had imagined him..but that doesn't bother me..when it is love, it is love.  He says a few words to all of the 50 milers and sends them on their run.  Becky and I start to walk over to the food tent to see what type of breakfast we could scare up..wouldn't you know it we are right behind Karno!  Ah..my heart starts skipping beats..I'm so excited.  I start to stare at his huge calf muscles!  OMG!  His legs are all muscles..it is crazy!  Then I start up a little conversation about how I thought he was running and that we were going to mark his bib at mile 14.  Yeah I know how to drive the guys crazy!!  He tells us that he is just the host and not running this one.  I can tell by the look in his eyes that he is sad that he missed the chance of having me mark his bib.  I think he is starting to feel things for me...I mean it is obvious that we were meant for each other.  We are both heading to the food tent (umm hello..the universe must be telling us we were meant to be together by having us walk to the same tent...)  When he is in the tent Becky keeps telling me to ask for a picture with him.  I feel soo stupid asking for peoples picture when I don't really know them (even though we were feeling the love for each other).  But I did!! 

Can you see the love in his eyes for me?  See how he is pointing at me as if to say..this is the girl I have a crush on..yeah I see it too.  Also notice how tiny this man is..no fat on his body whats so ever!  I guess if all I did was run run run I would be missing some of my fat too. 

So I was giddy over meeting my running crush for sometime yesterday.  Sorry Karno..if you weren't married we could be together..

Well the entire day wasn't really about me stalking hanging out with Karno.  I did come to volunteer.  We left the start line for the Great Falls park to set up our super busy aid station.  Becky and I were in charge of keeping track of all of the 50 miler and 50K runners.  Doesn't sound hard at all.  The 50 milers were great.  They were in no big hurry.  So when they got to us and Becky was yelling out stop so I can mark your bib I had time to write down their numbers so we made sure we didn't lose any runners from aid station to aid station.  The 50K people were another story.  They came in large groups at the beginning..running us over.  They did not want to stop to have their bib marked (no mark on your bib..no qualifying time).  But we got through that fine.  It was funny that most of the 50K'ers would put their hands up as if Becky was attempting to rob them.  We got a kick out of it, as did some of the spectators watching.  It was a great day..not too hot and not too cold.  It rained like crazy the day before so those poor runners had mud caked all over themselves. I felt bad. 

Becky helping to fill some water cups before the runners head our way.

more water please

This is what happens when you are chasing people down..you must write some numbers on your hand. 

It was a long tiring day volunteering.  But so much fun cheering on some great runners!  Amazing the distances that some people can  run! 

North Face Endurance race..fun times coming this weekend

You may remember that last year I volunteered at the local North Face endurance race and had loads of fun.  Who would have thought that waking up way before the butt crack of dawn would yield good times..but it did.  So much so that my friends and I are volunteering again! 

Again I will be waking up at 3am to get ready to be at Great Falls by 5 am.  Again we will be manning the busy aid station in the Park offering all of your food needs..chicken broth..soda..pb&j sammies..and much more.  We will be keeping track of the marathon, 50K and the 50 mile runners.  Please let it not be too hot and no rain!! 

This year Dean Karnazes will be running the race. 

Last year I had no idea who this man was.  After reading his book Run! I may have a little bit of crush.  Hope his wife doesn't mind.  If you are looking for a fun running read, pick up the book it is great!  Karno is such a crazy runner.  Who suddenly decides that they need to run all night long?  Not this girl that is for sure.   Dean has also been named "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World " by Time Magazine.  I feel like such a groupie!  I hope I recognize him.  Not that I'm going to tackle him or anything..but it would be exciting to see him. 

Stay tune to see if I recognize Dean on Saturday...and if I wake up on time...