November 15th, 2016 By Kato

Three teams ran in what was Highland’s second year participating in the BRR. This back blast would be out of order if it didn’t begin with some thanks:

• To The Nanny; who shepherded the whole thing from the beginning.  From the major details to minor requests, The Nanny truly modeled what it is to be a servant leader.
• To Filibuster; who, among other things, organized the teams and leg assignments and created the invaluable winkies.
• To each of the drivers: Law Dawg, Fonda, Bingo, and Hugo who selflessly herded us around God’s creation. They made sure we were where we needed to be and, when we weren’t, they went out and found us.

 

Highland’s Fast and Furious

• Glock
• Diplomat
• Goldfinger
• Nighthawk
• Cash
• The Nanny
• Kato
• Snare
• J-Lo

Highland’s Worst Pace Scenario

• Chowder
• Bling
• Fillibuster
• Loco
• Pharoah
• Shazam
• Thorn
• Pavirotti
• Bootstrap
• Avalanche

Highland’s Joggernots

• Zillow
• Diego
• AllState
• Ironhide
• Alcatraz
• Search&Rescue
• Short Circuit
• Grinder
• Sugar
• El Guapo
• Treadstone
• BOS

 
General Sentiments

For everyone involved, the BRR is far more than a race. The memories remain long after the pain of running the legs subsides. Below is a list of some of the comments shared by the PAX:

• The Spreadsheet, The Run Tracker, The Gospel According to Nanny and Fillibuster: Whatever it was called, it was an ever present taskmaster on each and every leg. When asked how they ran, runners never commented on their kills, how they felt, or the scenery. There was but one comment: “I beat (or didn’t beat) my time”…..apparently that’s all that mattered.
• During training and preparation everyone was incredibly supportive with guidance, things to expect, and answering any crazy questions that popped into my head.
• During the event, my team was the definition of support and encouragement. It was awesome to see guys come together to push each other, have fun, and build relationships that will last.
• There is no such thing as training for 2+ miles of mountain climbing in the foothills of NC.
• If I added together every time I’d used a porta john from birth through Sept 8, 2016, I’m sure it would not equal the number of uses during the BRR.  On a related topic, I became a big fan of lemonade flavored coconut water.  Not sure how much that played into me never feeling dehydrated, but it tasted great.  And did I mention I used the porta john a lot?
• I wasn’t sure if my post-run plan of disposable washcloth followed by a lavender scented baby powder slathering would be really comfortable or really dusty.  There was some dust.  Someone from another team wondered if someone was smoking while I powdered up once at an exchange zone.  But I will take the momentary dust cloud all day long because the powdery dry lavender infused feeling took the edge off 2 days in a van filled with dudes.
• S&R might not brag on himself, but his finish on leg 30 was great.  Van 1 and Van 2 were in attendance to cheer him on and he left nothing in the tank.
• Running across the finish line with our team was way more emotional than I would have ever imagined.  Fortunately for me, I didn’t bring a belt and my shorts were falling down.  Without that distraction I may had completely lost it and collapsed in a pool of happy tears.
• A two-word description of my first BRR experience is GLORIOULSY HORRIBLE.  Looking forward to doing it again.
• Snare was woken up by Law Dawg; asking where Kato was.  In his tired, groggy state, said said “I’m not Kato!”  Law Dawg calmly replied, “I know, where the hell is he?  Nanny about to arrive.”  Turns out Kato’s alarm went off as he planned with the estimated arrival on the run tracker.  However, who would have thought that The Nanny (and previous runners) would smash their times and were arriving early?!?  Kato was soon found “making a deposit” and Law Dawg quickly got him to the exchange with a confused and waiting Nanny.
• Not sure if it’s true but we heard that when Kangaroos get chased by dingos in the wild, they will often throw one of their young off to the side to distract the dingo in order to get away.  When your mom throws you to the dingo in order to get away you know she may not really love you after all.
• If you have not experienced the Bakersville Fire Department tarp showers, you are missing out.  Cash and I walked up to the table and they had 3 options; potato only, shower only, or the combo deal.  Yes, please – the combo deal.  Shower first then potato.  You walk behind a tarp wall and there is a big area to strip down and then there are three separate tarp showers with shower heads hanging from the ceiling.  The water is HOT and runs the whole time.  The other side of the tarp was the woman’s showers.  Then you had to some long banquet tables, grab a potato, throw on butter, bacon, sour cream, cheese, and if you are really adventurous – the diarrhea looking Hormel chili from a can.
• As Glock told his tall tale it started as a dog, then a wild dog, then a bunch of dogs, then a pack of wild dogs, then on Saturday night after a few beers Glock shared the noise that this “wild pack of dogs” made – and we all realized he was bit by a single Lhasa Apso who was likely the runt of his litter.
• Supported by an inadvertent series of pictures complete with expressions and gesticulations, Glock realized he did not have his race bib on during an exchange with J-lo and had to run to the van, get it, pin it on his shorts, then run back to the exchange line to start his leg.  The pictures are hilarious once you realize what was going on.  Somehow in a still photo you can tell he just uttered an f-bomb.
• The active van came in and parked next to our red Ram in-active vehicle to find our next runner (Glock) not anywhere close to being ready and we expected J-lo in minutes.  I probably should have offered to help more than I did, but a flustered Glock is funny thing to watch.  Lot’s of exasperation and f-bombs.  We attached lights to his vest, un-twisted his vest, got him water, packed his disaster of a bag which had been upended on the front seat and floor of the truck, moved his bag to the active van, and picked up the dripping can of starbucks iced coffee (??) that had been thrown in the front seat…..now that I think about it…what did HE do?  Off he ran and I assume he made a clean exchange with J-lo….I never heard.
• It is 1:45 AM and we are driving on gravel roads on the trail of our runner when we go around a curve and happen upon a moustached redneck  smoking a cigarette sitting on a fat tired dirt bike just staring at all the runners going by.  He seemed to give the female runners some extra attention.  Diplomat was not happy about this and wanted to call the cops.  No cell service.
• Here’s the Goldfinger curse….He runs SO dang fast but makes the rest of us look SO dang bad when not wearing shirts.  What to do?  Ban him from all future pictures?  Require that he wear a winter jacket at all times?  Maybe we go all Psychological Warfare on the other teams and have him hang out with the competition so that they begin questioning THEIR manhood…..maybe he can photobomb all THEIR pictures so that for all of eternity when those guys share pictures with friends, kids, and yes – spouses – THEY all ask the same question we were asked in a slight purring voice…whooooose thaaaaat?
• Hugo does want to run the BRR next year, no matter what he says today.
• Grinder would not share the music that he has loaded on his phone for some reason.  We guess he did not want us to know it was mainly Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.
• After breakfast we decide to rest a bit.  We found out El Guapo can climb in a bag and fall asleep in minutes.  We didn’t even have a chance to tell him we were moving the van before he was out.
• Grinder does not mind soaking in a creek right down the road from the waste water treatment plant.
• The Nanny secretly (or not so secretly) wants to be Bear Grylls. He preferred to hang out the open van door while Law Dawg navigated treacherous mountain overpasses. Very unsafe….just ask Kato.

Quotes

• “Oh, this is not good” – Filibuster…. “What?”-Loco… “THIS” – Filibuster (while waving hand in front of entire body)
• “Get me off this mountain” – Chowder upon completion of leg 31
• “I’m bleeding”- Shazam after completing leg 16
• “It’s like 10,000+ mile old motor oil down there” – Fillibuster
• “What’s that for?”  While folding toilet paper and putting into his shorts right before a leg, Filibuster responds “I hope I don’t need it”
• “I thought this leg was flat”- Chowder at leg 31 “Someone lied to you”- Volunteer working the EZ
• “Oh, I know the Nanny”- Volunteer at TZ 12 when we were explaining the spreadsheet
• “Your pants game is strong”- Friendly woman in TZ 31 commenting on Chowder & Loco’s PJ pants
• “You’re never allowed to stand next to me with your shirt off”- Everyone to Goldfinger
• “Are you going to do this leg in 35 minutes?” “Yes, in increments of 35 minutes, probably 3” -Shazam
• “Which way do I go?”- Pharaoh in the EZ getting sleep out of his eyes after being woken up
• “Better get in there, they are starting to crown”- Referencing the port-o-john’s at TZ 31
• “I talked to a red hot momma the other day…”  – Filibuster
• “Oh, I know who the Nanny is.” – Lady at Mt Vernon Baptist church when we were explaining the need to keep up the spreadsheet or face the wrath of The Nanny
• “Oh, there’s not a chance he passes her” – said someone upon seeing Thorn coming up on an attractive female runner
• “That’s the best $3 I ever spent” – Pavarotti and Shazam after paying for a shower in Bakersville, in unison
• “You need more bounce out there” – overheard from another runner yelling encouragement to a female teammate:…in reference to her stride, allegedly
• “Just don’t take the big blue one!” – Fonda when Bootstrap asked him for some ibuprofen. After Bootstrap gives him a look, he carefully explains that it is Tylenol PM and he just doesn’t want him to fall asleep
• “Has anyone has seen my Toy Story 2 towel?” Glock when looking for his towel.
• Cash was out running one of his legs and came up to a mixed gender group that included some attractive female runners going a hair slower than him.  They asked him if he wanted to “pace with them” up the hill.  He said “No, I have a spreadsheet I have to beat.”  That is team commitment.
• “Every part of me is stiff” – Kato after trying to sleep in the van. After LawDawg shoots him a glance he clarifies “Well, not every part of me.”
• “Is that from the Campbell Clan?” – The lady taking money at the pancake breakfast looks at BOS wearing a kilt. We didn’t know that Chowder had a clan.
• “Look….you can see on Strava every time I stopped to puke!” – Nighthawk while eating a big dill pickle after wretching multiple times on his leg.

Looking forward to running with everyone in 2017. Training starts now. Or, if you’re J-Lo, Nighthawk, or Goldfinger….it never stops.

 

 

Highlands, Rolling Stone, Skywalker

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