10k, 10k very much

(Isn't that a great title? I figured we'd try to spice this blog up with more of what are, in my o-pun-ion, the highest echelon of jokes.)

This past Sunday, fifteen staff and students joined 17,000 runners for the Statesman Capitol 10k (that's 6.2mi for the mathematically challenged) footrace through the streets of Austin downtown. The starting gun was at 8:45am, and it was a brisk 40 degrees outside. The course wound through downtown, all the way back to P. Manny's house on Winsted, and back again. The staff who weren't running, and also YoungJu, sacrificed their sleep and came out to cheer for us at the 3 mile mark, and even brought the runners home-made breakfast tacos for after the race. Yum.

Three cheers to all who participated, and especially for those who came to show their support. Some were even inspired to think about possibly running (!) the Austin Marathon next February. Whether that was just momentary bravado brought on by the post-race euphoria or something more substantial, we'll just have to see =)

Oh, you want to know who got the best time? Good question! That was the subject of much drama, and in fact there were a few dramas surrounding this 10k race: 1) A certain young turk from amongst the brothers decided he would pick out the most formidable opponent among the older ones, and challenge him for the title of 'fastest 10k runner at GFC Austin.' There was intrigue, there was speculation, and to find out the results you'll just have to ask them yourself! 2) After several of the brothers finished the race (with respectable sub-50 and sub-60 minute times), they decided to cheer for the rest of the brothers who were behind them. Here's a sample conversation:

Brother 1: Hey, do you think Bro X is going to cross the finish line soon? It's been 60 minutes now.

Brother 2: Nah, let's grab another banana and then head over in a few minutes. (...at the finish line...)

Brother 1: It's been an hour and a half now, no sign of Bro X. I only see grandmas and grandpas running now. Maybe he finished already??

Brother 2: (thinking) -Nah, no way. We did run by Winsted though, maybe he turned right and went home.

Brother 3: Yeah, maybe. Let's go meet up with everyone else.

Unbeknownst to these brothers, Brother X had already finished and was waiting at Dominican Joe's along with those who had come out to cheer for the runners. After finding out why the other brothers were so late in coming, he decided to play a little trick on them and pretend to struggle in to the parking lot a few minutes after they got back. Another snippet of conversation:

Brother 1: Hey man, good job! Wow, you made it finally! You survived!

Brother 2: My goodness, did you come straight here from the race?

Brother X: Yeah man, I sure did... AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO!

The look on Brother 2's face was priceless.