[thumbnail of IMG_4890.JPG]"IMG_4890.JPG" 701060 bytes

It's not raining!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4891.JPG]"IMG_4891.JPG" 1083945 bytes

Three newbies, they have *no* idea what they're getting themselves into..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4892.JPG]"IMG_4892.JPG" 1749613 bytes

The Go Go's all wanted to have their picture taken with me!  Who am I to refuse!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4893.JPG]"IMG_4893.JPG" 1239679 bytes

Andy, ready for the challenge of the dreaded leg 1!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4894.JPG]"IMG_4894.JPG" 1157287 bytes

And everybody is offering him their condolences..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4895.JPG]"IMG_4895.JPG" 1185054 bytes

At the starting line, note the ultra cool Mass Hole team shirts!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4896.JPG]"IMG_4896.JPG" 1127733 bytes

Still at the starting line, we haven't made much progress since the previous picture, huh?

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4897.JPG]"IMG_4897.JPG" 906769 bytes

And he's off!  Hurry up Andy, everybody knows you win or lose a 210 mile race in the first 50 yards!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4898.JPG]"IMG_4898.JPG" 1245496 bytes

Note the distinct lack of blood and gore on the sneakers!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4899.JPG]"IMG_4899.JPG" 1142384 bytes

Well done!!  207 miles to go!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4900.JPG]"IMG_4900.JPG" 1267208 bytes

Hopefully Van 1 didn't notice that Van 2 didn't know how to spell the team name..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4901.JPG]"IMG_4901.JPG" 1097848 bytes

Everybody knows there are 3 S's in a$$$hole!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4902.JPG]"IMG_4902.JPG" 1103741 bytes

All is well, that 3rd S really clears things up!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4903.JPG]"IMG_4903.JPG" 785202 bytes

Danes pretty fast, but imagine if he put all that up and down motion into running forward, he'd be even faster!  Also, note the running instructions - SERPENTINE!!!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4904.JPG]"IMG_4904.JPG" 913493 bytes

He looks way too happy..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4905.JPG]"IMG_4905.JPG" 1350464 bytes

Jason, slamming on the brakes before the turn!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4906.JPG]"IMG_4906.JPG" 1813539 bytes

Adrien burning rubber.

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4907.JPG]"IMG_4907.JPG" 1331069 bytes

A corner?  I have no idea why I took this picture..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4908.JPG]"IMG_4908.JPG" 1340575 bytes

Adrien getting ready to pass!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4909.JPG]"IMG_4909.JPG" 1455771 bytes

Note, 3 car lengths before Adrien was 10 feet behind this guy!  Now he's passing him!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4910.JPG]"IMG_4910.JPG" 1541906 bytes

And 20 feet later, the other guy is no where in sight!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4911.JPG]"IMG_4911.JPG" 1299258 bytes

If I could just lose 60 lbs, and learn how to run, maybe I could look like this..

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4912.JPG]"IMG_4912.JPG" 1212500 bytes

Smokin'!!!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4913.JPG]"IMG_4913.JPG" 1084508 bytes

Some times, I wonder why he puts up with us.  After all, there must be some *real* teams with fast runners that could use another.  Are the Mass Soles so much fun to hang around with?

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4914.JPG]"IMG_4914.JPG" 1033637 bytes

Captain Pat, embarking on what surely must be the single most difficult leg of the race.

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4915.JPG]"IMG_4915.JPG" 1237588 bytes

The vehicles coming up this hill are all in low gear..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4916.JPG]"IMG_4916.JPG" 1233491 bytes

Slow down Pat!  You're actually running TOO FAST up these hills!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4917.JPG]"IMG_4917.JPG" 1074051 bytes

Rear mirror view.

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4918.JPG]"IMG_4918.JPG" 1496570 bytes

The hills never ended on this leg.

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4919.JPG]"IMG_4919.JPG" 1579348 bytes

And Captain Pat never got tired of them!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4920.JPG]"IMG_4920.JPG" 1642147 bytes

After all of those hills, look!  Another hill!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4921.JPG]"IMG_4921.JPG" 1321910 bytes

This damn flower girl ran the same leg as Pat, and never lost that sh!t eating grin!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4922.JPG]"IMG_4922.JPG" 1499428 bytes

What goes up must come down!  Finally!!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4923.JPG]"IMG_4923.JPG" 1274601 bytes

Got any curdled Half and Half?

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4924.JPG]"IMG_4924.JPG" 1478406 bytes

After 8.8 miles of pure hell, at last we can hand off to Bao!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4925.JPG]"IMG_4925.JPG" 1350616 bytes

Only 2 minutes behind the Indian girl, no problem!  (for her...)

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4926.JPG]"IMG_4926.JPG" 1267223 bytes

No, he's not running that fast.  The blur is because we took the camera shot from a moving vehicle, not because Bao was running fast up the hill!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4927.JPG]"IMG_4927.JPG" 1940150 bytes

A message to Dave?

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4928.JPG]"IMG_4928.JPG" 1708103 bytes

???????

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4929.JPG]"IMG_4929.JPG" 1665889 bytes

Bao!  You're at the top of the hill!  Er, except for the next half mile, that is..

Whoops!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4930.JPG]"IMG_4930.JPG" 1314274 bytes

We sent Captain Pat to offer the tasty beverage, who could complain to Pat about hills?

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4931.JPG]"IMG_4931.JPG" 1567481 bytes

Liz, displaying the eye of the tiger!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4932.JPG]"IMG_4932.JPG" 1511069 bytes

Bao, displaying the eye of the defeated turtle!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4933.JPG]"IMG_4933.JPG" 1376770 bytes

Take this, please!  I don't ever want to see it again!!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4934.JPG]"IMG_4934.JPG" 1373549 bytes

At the top of some nasty hills!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4935.JPG]"IMG_4935.JPG" 1385481 bytes

Bao is trying to keep up with Liz!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4936.JPG]"IMG_4936.JPG" 968777 bytes

Rear mirror view!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4937.JPG]"IMG_4937.JPG" 1340084 bytes

For the record, and for anybody in Captain Pats family who may be reading this, Pat took really, really, *really* good care of Liz.

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4938.JPG]"IMG_4938.JPG" 963854 bytes

Piece of cake!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4939.JPG]"IMG_4939.JPG" 1113127 bytes

Slow down Liz!  The speed limit is 30 going up this hill!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4940.JPG]"IMG_4940.JPG" 1073232 bytes

And 40 going down it!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4941.JPG]"IMG_4941.JPG" 1524508 bytes

Our closest call of the race, Nathan had to turn around, run back up and around the cone, and start again.  We almost screwed up this transition, didn't expect we needed vests at this point, it was still broad daylight!  It cost us 5 seconds..

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4942.JPG]"IMG_4942.JPG" 1361692 bytes

Nathan, at mile 2, running up the hill that was supposed to crest at mile 1!  Shhhh, don't tell him!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4943.JPG]"IMG_4943.JPG" 1070889 bytes

He's never done anything like this in his life!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4944.JPG]"IMG_4944.JPG" 1146266 bytes

Little fitment problem with the vest.

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4945.JPG]"IMG_4945.JPG" 1229300 bytes

I thought my team mates were taking a picture of a lost boater in a life jacket, then noticed myself somewhere in this picture.

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4946.JPG]"IMG_4946.JPG" 1514221 bytes

The official Mass Soles team salute!  "Stop looking at me!!"

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4947.JPG]"IMG_4947.JPG" 1169114 bytes

Yes, this picture is blurry because I *was* running that fast!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4948.JPG]"IMG_4948.JPG" 969352 bytes

I'm SMOKIN'!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4949.JPG]"IMG_4949.JPG" 1424863 bytes

Here's proof (I think), that I did pass at least one person during this race.  Not the life jacket *behind* me now!

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4950.JPG]"IMG_4950.JPG" 1231852 bytes

Dr. Brian, rushing to my next gynecological exam!

 

 

[thumbnail of IMG_4951.JPG]"IMG_4951.JPG" 1090232 bytes

There's a story here..

 

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 www.shorey.net