I am sure by now you have deduced that I loved the race in Arizona and I loved all of the hoopla that is part of a P.F. Chang Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had met and spoken with some rather interesting individuals. I have often chatted up my friends and family about the gent from Boulder and the woman who inspired me through her bravery in battling breast cancer. To say I was jazzed was an understatement.
When I returned to Virginia, I pulled out the card of the runner I met who worked for the Interior Department. I emailed him the information I promised I would and I was tickled to note that his last name is Redlegs. Yes, he is a Native American and I thought it was very cool that his last name befits his sport of marathon running. Every now and then, he and I email back and forth and I do hope to see him at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon in September.
So, I did follow the advice of a friend and I did sign up for another race, and another, and another, and another. I am addicted, no doubt about it. In my obsession with all things running I decided to see if I could put a name to “Boulder”. I tried some Google searches with various triggers like tri-athlete, runner in Boulder: you get the idea. Then voila, I stopped being a blonde and went to the P.F. Chang race results online. I knew he had run the ultra so it was not too hard to determine who he was. One runner from Boulder ran the ultra and his name is Barry Siff. WOW, he runs, he rides, he swims, He is a tri-athlete and he and his wife own a business in Boulder called 5430 Sports. The business is called 5430 because that is the elevation of the store in Boulder.
So, let me give some background on Barry and his business. On his website it is noted that Barry is a leading developer and organizer of sport-based entertainment events. With a focus on multisport endurance races, 5430 has the capability of attracting world-class participants, sponsors, and spectators. In addition, 5430 Sports has a record of successfully matching events to corporate sponsors, as well as athletes to products to leverage brand and individual identification. Barry has directed over 60 multisport events since 1998, including adventure races and camps, winter triathlons, and numerous nationally acclaimed summer triathlons. As an athlete, Barry has completed over 40 marathons, 8 Ironman triathlons, and virtually every major adventure race in the world since 1998.
I met this man, the second of three strangers I spoke too while I was in Arizona. Holy Cow. I was jazzed before I knew who he was, and when I found out who he was I was pinging off the walls. So, I did what I do best, I looked him up on Face Book…yowza, he is on there and I sent a friend request. Now, I’m not saying he remembers me, but I did send a note reminding him of how we met at the airport and how our paths crossed at the UPS truck. He was either being gracious or, he truly did remember, because he told me so. I’m thinking it IS because I’m so damn memorable!
Maybe you are starting to get an inkling of why I love this sport. I’ll never win a race. I do win in my heart because I cross the finish line and “chip in”. I believe one of the most interesting parts of running is that you can just start chatting with runners and they are cordial and have plenty of feet/street time and experiences to discuss and share. Additionally, word of mouth has directed me to some pretty cool races that I am looking to participate in, and of course there is always the shoe discussion.
See, I know you are already thinking ahead. You want to know who the woman behind my cell phone picture is. Well, I wanted to know as well and it was off to Google for another search. I simply put in something about a woman running 235 marathons (actually Arizona was 234 for her) and in one shot…BOOM…there she was, Carol Dellinger. Wow, she had an article online discussing an upcoming interview she was going to be participating in. Well, hello Face Book, find me Carol Dellinger. There she was. I was blown away that the third stranger I’d spoken to was another very famous athlete. I sent the friend request with a note about the picture, blah, blah, blah. No kidding, like five minutes later I had a response. She said she remembered me and asked how I was doing with my sport. I filled her in with the abridged version (you readers will have no such luck). We continued to communicate back and forth and then I fell into the “comment” and “like” section of her posts and keep up that way. Carol has a remarkable story to tell with her battle with breast cancer. This link will take you to the exact article I found when I was searching Carol: http://running.competitor.com/2010/01/features/234-marathons-and-counting_7794
Carol is an extraordinary individual, and as I mentioned in my previous post, I’ll never complain about running pain. If ever I should start to, or someone hears me complain, please b’ slap me back to reality. Carol has posted several more links to her Face Book site and I have been able to see the photo shoots she participated in as well as being able to read about her 30 mile run during the Race for The Cure.
I don’t know why I was blessed to meet Barry and Carol. Seriously! I spoke with three strangers, Mr. Redlegs (I just think that name is too darn cool) Barry Siff aka Boulder, and Carol Dellinger. I’m trying to determine if there was some karmic reason that Barry and Carol and I should have crossed paths. Certainly, now that I know who they are, I am even more determined to continue running. I suppose there is a sense of hero worship, awe, and a childlike reverence of the athletes they are. And, much like my dad, I’ve never met a stranger.
So, let me muddle through this for myself. I went searching online, in April, for two strangers I met in January. Two strangers whose names I did not know. Two strangers I chatted with and shared with and asked the “Widow questions”, and damned if I’d not uncovered enough to Google them. I found them right off…did I say this is a cool sport. Okay, no, I am not stalking runners at races, but I continue to chat with folks at each and every race and I share my new found passion for running. I hope that maybe my short six month involvement with the sport may allow me to impart some of my enthusiasm and excitement to a new runner.
I promise this is the last I have to say about the race in Arizona. After all, I have so many more races to write about. I have been keeping a scrapbook of bibs, results, and race pictures and now with this blog I’ll have a chronicle of the good, the bad, and the rare ugly race. Stay tuned for more Conversations With the Widow Fike.
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