Riley and brand new Raptor Daveon take 2nd!

Post date: Feb 25, 2013 2:58:27 AM

Today was the long-anticipated LMJS "Couples Relay". The term "couples" is enforced at the Novato couples race but that's in the hinterlands. Lake Merritt is in the heart of "open-minded" country so "couple" can be pretty much anything (well, okay, transgender might make things a bit more confusing but really there are only three possible combinations: boy/girl. girl/girl or boy/boy, right?). So we mixed and matched. In the end everyone ran great (as usual) but this was a far bigger and more competitive race than the usual 4th Sunday laid-back affair. I saw a lot of Pamakid runners (did you know that stands for "pa. ma and the kids?" It does. ) and there was a contingent from the Castro Valley T.C. and they are always formidable. Thus, only the team of Riley and newly-minted Raptor (and we are happy to have him! Chaia has already extracted a promise from him to team with her next year!) scored. But they took a fine second place in the "29 and under" (combined ages of the two teammates) class behind two frighteningly fast middle-school boys from. . . yup. . . Castro Valley!

So, while there might have been less ribbons than before there were some sparkling times. Thanks to Gary for these splits!

In order of rapidity, here they are:

1. Daveon (again, welcome!): 19:39

2. Henry: 20:55

3. Chaia: 21:54

4. Riley, with nasty stomach ache still finished in: 22:10

5. Jared, recovering from a cold and suffering a fall on the course: 22:52

6. Krisna: 23:43

7. Jeff: 23:57 and first Raptor adult!

8. Nikhil: 24:15

9. Esme, with a stich still finished in: 25:43

10. Grady: 27:25

11. Marina: 35:50

The only person I don't have a split for is Marina's teammate Laura. . .

After the race, as tradition demands we decamped to Fentons for food. This was a semi-momentous occasion as Chaia has just ended her year or so as a vegetarian and was about to consume her first batch of bacon. (see picure!). I had to leave early for a redezvous in Walnut Creek with my very rich (Oracle) and very insane Russian friend Yan. It was his 51st b-day , so a bunch of motorcycle folks met up at his house and we rode to Port Costa for food and drink and general merriment! Thus I don't know if ice cream was devoured after breakfast at Fentons but I would assume so!