Loyalty. It has its rewards.
There's something to be said about people who have years of devotion to a person, a brand, an event or a place. Being a regular at a local bar or restaurant feels like you have a second home.
Meet Joe Harris. He's the first person in the history of Competitor Group's Rock n Roll Marathon series to complete 100 full and half marathons. Last weekend in his hometown race in Washington, D.C., Joe crossed the finish line for this milestone achievement. As far as we can tell, the next closest person is somewhere in the low 80's, putting them over a year away from catching Joe, even if he never ran another race.
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| Susan and I pose with Joe at the Rock n Roll San Antonio expo last December |
Rock n Roll DC (previously known as Rock n Roll USA) is a 'kitchen sink' race, meaning you really should prepare for any kind of weather, even up to the last minute. The weekend before, the city shut down under a blanket of snow. Fortunately, everything melted by mid-week and Friday and Sunday were forecasted to be bright and sunny. The only weather we were expecting was a large rain system coming through on race day.
We landed at Reagan National mid afternoon and hitched a ride in with Al. He's usually a very calm driver, but something about DC driving that makes people just a little insane. I fail to see why they have stoplights in a traffic circle, but I'm sure it has something to do with 'improving flow' or 'not getting people squished'. We dropped our bags off and headed to the expo.
We'd seen the pictures on Facebook earlier, but it was even better in person. CGI went all out for Joe's 100th race, publishing two articles (Bib No. 100, Q&A with Joe) and even making a welcome sign at the Expo to go along with his picture on the Hall of Fame 2014 wall. Local TV station WTOP had articles and several interviews before the race as well. Unfortunately, we missed Joe Thursday night at the expo, but planned on connecting on Friday afternoon.
Joe posted pictures of a few other surprise gifts he had waiting for him, including a pair of running shoes from Brooks (a Rock n Roll sponsor), a finisher shirt from the merch staff a custom medal hanger from our friends Marcey and Pete at Sport Hooks.
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| This is the first of its kind. It will be a few years before another one is made. |
We managed to catch up with our local friends, Anita, Lisa and Mark. Lisa was running the half and Mark and Anita were there for moral support. Weather in the area had a few people admitting they hadn't been able to train as well as they would have liked, so it looked to be a challenging weekend. We found a little place called Asian Spice for dinner. They were really good about accommodating food allergies and heat levels and I recommend the Honey Roasted Duck Noodle dish and Won ton Soup. Anita and I hadn't seen each other since her first half marathon at Rock n Roll Savannah 4 years ago. We met blogging on MySpace almost 10 years ago and have been close ever since. It feels like everywhere we go, we have family.
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| Lisa, Mark, Anita, Susan and me upstairs at on w weekend where eating with restraint was a bit difficult. |
We slept in Friday and got a good bit of work done in the morning. We had alternating conference calls through lunch so while Susan was on her call, I was able to catch up some of my former Team in Training participants from the Peninsula chapter. I coached Ben and Kirsten to their first full marathons in San Diego. They said Susan and I inspired them to get back to racing. It's an honor every time I hear someone tell us that.
Just to remind us of the fact that 'crazy is relative', while we were catching up, Kamika Smith walked up. Kamika has completed 100 full marathons including all 50 states, is closing in on half marathons in 50 states and recently completed 7 half marathons on 7 continents in just over 11 days. For the record, I absolutely love our group of friends!
Expanding on the crazy theme, this was the first leg of another RNR Double weekend. You may recall the SA2LV adventure from 2013. Rock n Roll DC was the first of the Capital City challenge. Fifty-nine participants ran the half or full marathon in DC, caught a red eye flight to run the half marathon in Mexico City the next night.
We had dinner with Rich, Barbara and Zachary at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, one of Zach's favorites. We met this amazing family last year at Disneyland before the Avengers race. Zachary was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder that has put Zachary through a number of painful surgeries. You can like his Facebook page, the Zachary Times-Herald to keep up on his progress. Zachary likes calamari. File that away if you ever have dinner with him. He's not your typical 10 year-old. Rich and Barbara have started a gofundme site to help raise money for his implants and future surgeries. They'd love any help you can give them.
Race Day: We had a 5 AM wake up call to make it to the start line at 6:30. Competitor also gave Joe a dozen complementary passes to the VIP area at the Willard a block off the starting line. Here we met our fellow RNR Gypsies Beth, Jim, Sherry, Michelle and Tim. We've gotten into the habit of getting our race bibs signed by the celebrities of the week. This week it was Joe.
Joe had another interview with WTOP a half hour before the 7:30 AM start with a group of the Gypsies tagging along. The rain was lightening up as the first few corrals went off.
But first, let me take a (group) selfie.
We were actually a little late for going out at the back of the first corral as CGI had planned. Josh Furlow suggested we form up behind Joe in a Mighty Duck "Flying V" (that fell apart quickly). Joe usually uses a Galloway method and was taking it easy this race so he could take it all in. Most of the group stayed together for the first few miles giving good chances for photo ops.
Competitor had arranged for Joe to have his own finish line. He was cut over to the full marathon finish so there would be no one around. The media was waiting for him as Al, Michelle and Hyalker escorted him in. Joe finished just a few seconds ahead of the full marathon winner. Al said he felt a little bad for the guy since he pretty much got no media attention at all.
Most of us did the half in DC, but Beth had personal reasons for running the full marathon. It was her third full marathon in seven weeks and the mileage was really adding up for her. Jim, Sandy and I cheered her in for a gutty finish. She's the face of dozens of runners who are overcoming lower limb paralysis known as foot drop using a specialized orthotic from Allard. The company has recruited a lot of regional captains for its public campaign to spread the message for the product, but Beth is the original captain of Team Up. She's one of my personal heroes.
People filed out of the VIP finish tent slowly. Joe stayed, thanking everyone for coming, the gracious man he is. As we made our way to the shuttle, we stopped by the Merchandise tent where Grace and Cathy presented him with the 100th race sign from the expo. They brought it to the finish and somehow kept it dry.
I talked about how races have become our second home. With a goal of 15 Rock n Roll races this year, we'll be seeing some of our race friends more than our own families. Susan said something over the weekend that made me realize why we keep doing this. It's no longer about goals and numbers and chasing the 100 races for the Rock n Roll Superstar plaque that Joe was awarded. It's about seeing our friends.
Loyalty.
It continues to have its rewards.
Rock n Roll DC (formerly known as Rock n Roll USA) was run for the fourth year in 2015. This year there were 1615 finishers in the 5K, 15245 finishers in the half marathon (median finish time 2:15) and 2503 finishers in the full marathon (median finish time 4:21). The forecast for race day was 99% chance of rain and high 40's - mid 50's up until Friday night. We ended up with light sprinkles with occasional showers. It was one of the coldest races we've done with the exception of Bar Harbor and Antarctica.
Lisa finished her half marathon cold and proud. We're talking about doing it all again in a month at Rock n Roll Raleigh. Our IronMan Florida friends Lisa Marie, Ken and their kids came in for the 5K. They finished with a quartet of medals and big smiles.
The DC2MX group all made it to Mexico City. Reports are still coming in for the Inaugural CDMX race, but even with the rain and the start/finish on a mud track at the high altitude, there were still solid performances... and lots of touristy pictures.
RNR DC was our 80th half marathon. Ron caught up to Susan by doing the Brazen Bay Breeze half marathon on Valentine's day. We also have 58 Rock n Roll half and full marathons apiece. With all the RNR veterans coming together, we started comparing totals. There are probably fewer than 20 people who have 50 or more RNR's under their belts. We should get our 5th Rock Idol medals at RNR Chicago if all goes as planned. We have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
We'd consider coming back for RNR DC every other year since we have a lot of friends in the area. We haven't registered yet, but with the TourPass, anything is possible.
Follow us on Facebook at Marathoning For Life.
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| Both Kirsten and Ben walked the half marathon in just over 3 hours. Not bad for their first race in years! |
We got to the expo after lunch to see the man of the hour. Joe was sporting another one-of-a-kind button and a huge smile.
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| About 240 Rock n Roll half and full marathons in this picture alone! |
Expanding on the crazy theme, this was the first leg of another RNR Double weekend. You may recall the SA2LV adventure from 2013. Rock n Roll DC was the first of the Capital City challenge. Fifty-nine participants ran the half or full marathon in DC, caught a red eye flight to run the half marathon in Mexico City the next night.
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| Tricia Lund was one of the only ones to run the full marathon in DC and the half in Mexico City. |
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| Part of the DC2MX swag bag was a mask (Juan and Hyalker model theirs above) |
Race Day: We had a 5 AM wake up call to make it to the start line at 6:30. Competitor also gave Joe a dozen complementary passes to the VIP area at the Willard a block off the starting line. Here we met our fellow RNR Gypsies Beth, Jim, Sherry, Michelle and Tim. We've gotten into the habit of getting our race bibs signed by the celebrities of the week. This week it was Joe.
Joe had another interview with WTOP a half hour before the 7:30 AM start with a group of the Gypsies tagging along. The rain was lightening up as the first few corrals went off.
But first, let me take a (group) selfie.
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| Gypsie pre-race: Jim, Kamika, Ted, Sandy, Beth, Michelle, Al, Ron, Sherry, Hyalker, Joe and Susan. I estimate this is about 600 Rock n Roll half and full medals in this group. |
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| The turn at the Arlington Memorial Bridge |
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| The Washington Nationals Racing Presidents. It's a bit blurry because of the rain and condensation. |
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| Joe got to keep this finish line banner, the sign and a few other souvenirs. (photo from Joe's wall, I'm sure this was a MarathonFoto credit) |
People filed out of the VIP finish tent slowly. Joe stayed, thanking everyone for coming, the gracious man he is. As we made our way to the shuttle, we stopped by the Merchandise tent where Grace and Cathy presented him with the 100th race sign from the expo. They brought it to the finish and somehow kept it dry.
I talked about how races have become our second home. With a goal of 15 Rock n Roll races this year, we'll be seeing some of our race friends more than our own families. Susan said something over the weekend that made me realize why we keep doing this. It's no longer about goals and numbers and chasing the 100 races for the Rock n Roll Superstar plaque that Joe was awarded. It's about seeing our friends.
Loyalty.
It continues to have its rewards.
~//~
Rock n Roll DC (formerly known as Rock n Roll USA) was run for the fourth year in 2015. This year there were 1615 finishers in the 5K, 15245 finishers in the half marathon (median finish time 2:15) and 2503 finishers in the full marathon (median finish time 4:21). The forecast for race day was 99% chance of rain and high 40's - mid 50's up until Friday night. We ended up with light sprinkles with occasional showers. It was one of the coldest races we've done with the exception of Bar Harbor and Antarctica.
Lisa finished her half marathon cold and proud. We're talking about doing it all again in a month at Rock n Roll Raleigh. Our IronMan Florida friends Lisa Marie, Ken and their kids came in for the 5K. They finished with a quartet of medals and big smiles.
The DC2MX group all made it to Mexico City. Reports are still coming in for the Inaugural CDMX race, but even with the rain and the start/finish on a mud track at the high altitude, there were still solid performances... and lots of touristy pictures.
RNR DC was our 80th half marathon. Ron caught up to Susan by doing the Brazen Bay Breeze half marathon on Valentine's day. We also have 58 Rock n Roll half and full marathons apiece. With all the RNR veterans coming together, we started comparing totals. There are probably fewer than 20 people who have 50 or more RNR's under their belts. We should get our 5th Rock Idol medals at RNR Chicago if all goes as planned. We have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
We'd consider coming back for RNR DC every other year since we have a lot of friends in the area. We haven't registered yet, but with the TourPass, anything is possible.
Follow us on Facebook at Marathoning For Life.
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