Winter Pineapple Classic 5K Recap

First of all, let me say that I had an absolute BLAST on this course and was just looking for dirt and mud and welcoming it for the race. I smiled the entire time and wasn't really thinking it actually was a race--it was just a cool morning run with three awesome friends. :) Yeah, I'm definitely signing up for it next year for sure. Oh, and BONUS: it was clear skies!

We got to the site early, so they were still setting up the tents.

It was freezing outside. The sun didn't really do much for the temperature. So Luke, Alison, Travis and I sat in Luke's huge diesel truck pre-race to stay warm and get "pumped up" by listening to random music and sipping energy drinks.

Travis drinking his "N.O. Xplode" - Alison & I - Luke doing his best "Venom Energy" impression

Alison & I pre-race...clean!
Luke & Travis pre-race

Let's just say that this race was a little on the unorganized side. Wait, just a little? Oh yeah, I mean A LOT. Even as the team captain for the Quick Pickles, I never got the e-mail with race day info...Alison got it and had to FWD it my direction. Seriously? What if no one on my team had received that important information? Really poorly executed. FAIL #1. Also, there was a lot of confusion on where the starting line formations were supposed to be. The e-mail didn't say anything about where each wave was going to meet, but luckily there was a person holding a piece of paper with our start time on a stick. Good thing that paper was neon green...

We were in the 2nd wave, starting at 9:10, and we had some interesting costumed teams in the bunch: some ninja turtles, publisher's clearinghouse people, and my favorite H1N-Run virus (they were dressed in pink with pig hats)...how clever is that?? They ended up running ahead of us, so Luke and I kept saying "catch those swine!" And, since Luke just got over a case of the H1N1 flu strain, I told him that he "beat it last week, now beat it again!" :) So back to the start of the wave...
When we got to the start line the announcer said that there were no timing mats and that people would have to use their own timing devices for this race. Um, WHAT?! Why did we pay $45 per person for a timed event and not have it timed? Seriously? FAIL #2. Oh, and we were also supposed to run with a whole pineapple and it had to cross the finish line with us. Ok...interesting, but that ended up being fun. [On a sidenote, running with a pineapple like a football is hard! It's prickly!]
The obstacles weren't too crazy: rope wall, tires, monkey bars, tubes, walls, yeah know. It was so much fun! While we were coming into the finish, Alison and I pulled ahead of Luke and Trav because we wanted to try and catch up to the H1N-Run ladies in pink...we tried, but to no avail. Our time according to Alison's watch was 28:59 (we walked a little with Trav when he had a side stitch). I didn't wear Gus because I thought that the event was going to be timed. There wasn't even a CLOCK at the finish line! FAIL #3.

We were tired, sweaty, muddy and I was a little bloody, but we headed to the Luau and beer garden for some grub. There was pulled pork, rice, macaroni salad and regular salad. After running a freezing race, we thought "warm food might be nice." Yeah, not warm. Cold. Ick. The food was a disappointment for sure. FAIL #4. :(
BUT, the beer garden was by donation and it featured Georgetown Brewery's finest. I'm not much of a beer fan, but it sounded appetizing, actually. My first was a pale ale, but my second was a porter (I actually like porters). Um, after running, not eating the food and drinking two beers...I was tipsy. But at least it warmed me up! WIN.

I'm not sure if John Curley ran this race or not, because I never saw him and his organization didn't have a booth like they normally do. All I can say is bummer. Next time...
Also, you can read my Racevine review here.

Overall, Team Quick Pickles raised $236 for blood cancer research! And that was the true meaning of the race. A very warmhearted thank you to the following donors for helping us reach our goal:

Amy F.
Kerrie T.
Scott & Amber
Shannon
Coach Fish
Shelley
Janna & Andy
Terri M.
Colleen
Lori
Alvarita & Rick

Alison & I on the ride home...trying to warm up (notice my blue lips?)
My poor dirty/bruised/bloody knees.

Goals for next year:
Team shirts
Raise more $
Wear Gus
& knee pads