Underpants Run?

Day one in Virgina was a good one! The weather was rainy yet humid, and I went for a run. Just 75 minutes, and I went the wrong way, finding myself in strip mall world. It took me 60 minutes of running here and there, on a sidewalk, on the grass, on a street that was too busy before I found solace and comfort in a neighborhood.

The athlete handbook claimed registration was on Friday. We traversed downtown Richmond to the host hotel to find out that wasn't so.

"Where's athlete village?" I asked Curt

"This is duathlon..... Long Course Mar..." Said Curt "The red headed stepchild of multisport."

No athlete village? No Gatorade swim? Okay this is duathlon.... no Gatorade run? How about the underpants run? Welcome dinner?

This is the second World Championship event I have spectated and I need to know.... why do y'all have these things in the freaking city?

I am missing the Ironman and the world I know. I wouldn't be running into Graham Fraser here. I wouldn't be running into those people I always run into at an Ironman event.

I have been to the Hawaii Ironman and I have been to Ironman Canada, Lake Placid, etc. I will say this..... Ironman Hawaii is very serious. Triathlon World Champs were a bit tight. All other Ironmans are wicked awesome frat parties. Maybe that's why I gravitate towards Ironman North America Events :-) (Poke!Poke!).

We all have our own thing. Be it short course this, long course this, nationals, worlds, best of the us.... Ironman...... 70.3....... whatever. We gravitate towards those events because those are the events we love. Curt will likely never do another Ironman. I will very likely never do Long Course Duathlon.

To each our own.

To fins something we love, have passion about, enjoy..... that's important. Yes, there is that elitist perspective. I have heard people talk down to those who don't do Ironman, And I have heard those who don't talk down about those who do.

And I never realized until yesterday how silly this kind of talk was. But that's another story for another day, I promise it is a terrific one too!

Off for one more long day..... I dream of my athlete village, my Gatorade swim and definitely for my underpants run!

:-) Mary