A PAX eclipsing 40 ditched all common sense for about 18 hours to receive a plentiful helping of each of the three Fs. This was the F3RVA Century Classic.
YHC has conversed with a number of individual PAX members about their experience, taking notes during the event and thinking about how to transcribe all of these memories into a backblast. There is no way YHC could do the stories justice by attempting to capture them for the collective PAX. Then, after chatting with Lockjaw and the (sober) Ronnie, it became clear. Treat the backblast as a living backblast. YHC will make no attempt to capture the essence of this workout, only setting the stage for each and every PAX member to capture it for himself.
My memories are collected below. I encourage everyone to add to this list by commenting with your favorite memory.
Leg 1: Trying to contain my energy for the CSAUP while stuck in traffic for opening night of the squirrels game
Leg 2: Praying for Saab on Meadowbridge and Atlee Rd. Kudos to all that ran that leg, a true game of frogger
Leg 3: All the Mechanicsville PAX member who were not running, companion running with the actual runners. Kudos!
Leg 4: The Creek parking lot is great for fellowship. This truly felt like a tailgate parking lot. The energy, games and conversation were all electric.
Leg 5: The headlamp on my run reflecting all the pollen flying through the air with me initially thinking it was raining. 30 minutes later realizing all that pollen was being sucked into my lungs at an incredible rate.
Leg 6: Hearing of TYA and Swirly questioning if YHC actually marked his legs of the course and me telling them where they can shove it.
Leg 7: Realizing how peaceful and quiet the city can be when when you are in it and surrounded by trees. The new moon highlighted the stars and all their brilliance.
Leg 8: Showing up to Hoedown and having Ronnie greet us after his enjoyable evening.
Leg 9: Marv almost taking out another animal with his running shoes.
Leg 10: Thinking about how comfortable it is to try to sleep on the top of a picnic table.
Leg 11: Watching the back and forth between Saab complaining about not being able to sleep and Upchuck for waking him up.
Leg 12: Waving to the UR security guard while sitting in a white van with 4 men laying on the ground. He waved and continued by.
Leg 13: Marv learning that Fudd was going to show up only for leg 18 and would still get a tshirt.
Leg 14: Seeing Lockjaw drive 20 in a 45 on Charter Colony so he could stay between the lines.
Leg 15: Reminding Marv that Fudd was still sleeping.
Leg 16: Hearing of a certain individual’s multiple escapades to the bathroom at a singular Wawa.
Leg 17: Making the van take a 3 mile detour to Wawa so YHC could get a breakfast hoagie, thus missing the final hand-off.
Leg 18: Pulling into Dogpile, realizing it was almost over and thinking the whole experience was too fast.
This humble correspondent would like to thank everyone involved with making this event successful, especially those listed in the QIC list. Without it, this would have been a completely stupid and utterly failure of an event.
Splinter out.
71 Comments
Absolutely epic!! Thanks Splinter, Rosie, and everybody else who planned. Thanks Gumbo and Flatline for guiding my way through the night, thanks Flat Tire for driving all damn night and picking up a last minute leg to boot, and thanks to the rest of the Pax for being awesome and dumb enough to do what’s we did. Way to go men.
After riding around in the east end and Daville and then pulling back into RVA via The Boulevard I felt like I was out of town and coming home LOL
Thanks to all who played a role in pulling this together and those who converged upon Dogpile with (well-supplied) coolers in tow.
Particular thanks to Kubota for firing up the grill and cooking up some terrific tubed-meats for breakfast.
After discussing my gastrointestinal issues, one of my favorite laughs was Offshore musing whether VCU Forensics “will accept fecal matter.”.
Epic night! You guys that organized it did an outstanding job. Although I was only able to make about 6 hrs of it, it gave me a very small taste of what the BRR is like has got me pretty pumped for it! Highlights for me: being there for Saab’s and Screendoor’s challenge loops at RollerCoaster #beastmode; conversing with Splinter in the dark for a bit and then having him say “Oh, hi BT”; talking little league and BonAir basketball with Flatline at Heartbreak waiting to take the baton from Swirly and realizing that the light coming down the hill towards us rapidly was not a motorcycle, but actually Swirly; taking off towards Spider Run knowing that Honeymoon was giving chase; having a conversation with TYA in the van and having him fall asleep in the middle of our convo, while driving. Great time, boys. Let’s put it on the calendar for next time!
Yeah – Kubota rocks
Wow! What a great couple of days! Thanks to all who planned! I am just glad that no one was hurt so that maybe my M will not give me a hard time before the next one.
Highlights and memories include:
Great weather, roads with no shoulders, deer, fox, rabbits, Wawa’s, the refreshment stand at TYA’s House, Azalea Ave., Jahnke Rd., Brandermill Pkwy traffic at 6am., trying to sleep on grass and asphalt and picnic table to no avail, towel as a blanket, the bars at Libby and Grove, Saab not turning into a grouch, toilet paper, ghost flag, Fudd’s front yard, great fellowship and dogs and beers at the end!!!
Last but not least, the pax members who were not running but came out anyway! That means a lot!
Great time guys! Enjoyed it!
Some of you guys don’t do Twitter so here’s a link to the big group shot at Dogpile Saturday morning https://twitter.com/joeparfitt/status/985256762772205568?s=21
He does rock. Bummed that the grilling was done by the time baseball was over.
I told my 2.0 (Husky) how far you ran and now he thinks you are the fastest runner in the world!?
TClaps to all the runners and “Q’s” of this event! It was fun seeing all you fellas at MANNDate for our DaVille Challenge. I hope Mudface didn’t make it to hard for you. Honeymoon I enjoyed our run together on Leg 3. Although I only join you fellas for a short time, it was blast!
Oh yeah, that challenge was very tough! Especially for one who has never posted to a kettlebell workout and who had boat shoes on!
Here’s some of my favorite memories. I’m sure there are more, but it seems my body and brain shut down for the 18 hours post-race:
Talking about my day job with a straight face and it being the source of 4 days (and counting) of laughs – to donate to the VCU Forensic Science Biological Samples Registry, email frscresearch@vcu.edu and they will set up an appointment – not all fluids are collected on site;
our team’s “innovative” approaches to the challenges;
talking to Lockjaw about Erin, his Chinese cousin;
trying to convince Lab Rat to wake up to run his leg;
a bearded Shakedown cursing the Dollar Shave Club;
learning about all the high-tech features of Honeydo’s Jeep – windshield cleaned by dog licks, lacrosse stick to prop the back door, extra play in the steering so you set a general direction and dramatically over-correct;
rolling into Walmart w Jville and Lab Rat at 2am in anxious anticipation of a real bathroom, finding it closed for cleaning, being the first customers after it reopened, leaving it with a Code Brown;
rolling into UR at 3am and thinking we spotted a jogger but it was a dude stumbling home, calling campus police to help him out, campus police not worried a bit about old farts hanging out in the parking lot at 3am;
mistaking a bike headlight traveling downhill for Lola, thinking he was overrunning Twin Team;
Gumbo and crew continuously circling back to check on runners and offer help;
all the non-runners out showing support (they should be in the PAX list, right!?): Gomer, Mudface, Helix, Spit, Ronnie, Aisle 5, Mr. Roper,Circle K,…;
Flipper’s, “’cause I know what it feels like to not have anyone clap for you when you reach the AO;”
Having 40+ of your homies cheering you home on a run (Flipper/Fudd, you should try it sometime).
Hahaha,for the record I don’t have anything against the dollar shave club. I was just piling on the conversation and maybe a bit delirious and reeling from the first can of red bull I’d had in years ?
Gumbo is badass
So much fun- Flipper being LIFO at the start (of course), trying to figure out how to get outsiders to pay for this next year -Jville to craft liability waiver. Flipper LOVES 80s hair metal. Jville getting the giggles around 4-5 am. Lab Rat’s find of the skip a leg token on run to SOT. Getting Airborne in the Jeep at UofR!
Pulling into NoToll I almost cried to get some Starbucks Coffee and Sugar Shack. Gomer Pyle showing up to hang throughout the race even with his bum foot.
It started with driving to the AO and conversation devolved to middle school levels. Van Life!
Leg 1 – Stuck in traffic and keeping a watchful eye for Taxi Cab in the rear view mirror. Then realizing Pax on the other side of the van were keeping a watching eye on a girl with a short skirt fighting to keep it down in the breeze.
Leg 2 – Rough neighborhood, dusk, no sidewalks, and a portion of the route had a swamp for the shoulder. What could go wrong?
Leg 3 – Getting ready to run and stopped by Mudface to do the challenge before we depart. He gave all the exercises which I had no clue what they meant. Thankfully, he provided a demo. Maybe a sign for me to attend a kettlebell workout.
Once on the road, I thought of Marv as I came upon a dead skunk on the side of the road. Ever grateful for Phonics as my guide and wingman. Thanks man!
Leg 4 – Ah! First ride in the wet jump seat!
Leg 5 – As the van pulls up to Azalea, TYA and company were on the corner awaiting their runner. Upchuck opens the doors and solicits TYA for contraband outside a motel stating “under new management” and doing so by changing all the mattresses to demonstrate that resolve.
Splinter and Hardywood are a couple of machines. ‘Nuff said.
Leg 6 – Home turf! It’s good to be on familiar roads.
Leg 7 – Upchuck comes in fast. Turn to see EF off and he is a ghost running down the road. Hutton is always in stealth mode. Saab crushing the rollercoaster challenge. Though others tied his time, but did they stop for a water break and a conversation with TYA’s daughters en route too?
Leg 8 – Ronnie. Esquire. Bow tie model.
Leg 9 – Enjoying the party zone too much and realizing we needed to catch Marv before he got to the next AO. As we came upon him, our headlights spooked a rabbit who bolted. Marv later revealed his concern that we would swerve to miss the rabbit and hit him. This man and his varmints….
Leg 10 – Ghost Flag has been claimed.
Leg 11 – The quiet sets in as those that can, nap. Taxi is the first to finish both of his legs. He was very satisfied.
Leg 12 – My second leg through familiar streets and coming close to my house. Tron squats in Fudd’s yard. Speed and form.
Leg 13 – Sheetz – best worst coffee that night.
Leg 14 – Drove the van escort for Upchuck in the neighborhood of a 100 turns. Drove slow to the next AO and tired. Upon arrival, half of the van empties out and runs to the woods to relieve themselves. Watch where you step on Wednesday.
Leg 15 – Breaking of a new dawn. Time to rally.
Leg 16 – Wawa – One of our Pax members now has a plaque commemorating “…on this date….” in the restroom. Not once, but an audible was called as we backed the van out, he returned for another visit. If the place was called “Sheetz”, I am sure we could find a joke there.
Leg 17 – Great to see Dutch who showed for his first leg. He asked “Is the course well marked with signs and there are people out there telling me where to go or what?” I gave him the leg 2 directions and told him to keep a watchful eye for Rt 301. Kidding aside, I hooked him up with printed directions. Let’s keep it a fair race.
Leg 18 – Buddies, Beer, and Brats. All the makings of a perfect day.
Here’s what I remember: putting a sign up on University, planting a shovel flag in my yard, drinking a beer, hitting the fart sack for a great nights sleep, heading to Batteau in the AM after a decent breakfast, taking the baton from a grumpy looking Marv (I thought that was odd at the time, but it now makes perfect sense), running my leg at what I thought was a pretty good pace, and then crossing the finish line to the sound of deafening silence (thanks Marv). Then cracking a beer, putting on my hard earned race shirt, and eating one of Kubota’s dogs. Good times fellas! Can’t wait till next year!
Discussing the merits of trying to get this event Insured with J’ville…. endless collection talks with Offshore..
.Riding with disoriented HoneyDo after his leg inadvertently drives us to the wrong AO promptly realizes his mistake and like a flash floors it to Circus… but in his haze doesn’t see the last speed hump in the drive at U of R and in full Dukes of Hazzard fashion The Jeep goes airborne with me and Uncle Jessi(j’ville)….
J’ville choosing any other vehicle to ride in other than with honey do for the rest of the night.
Being so excited to cheer on runners as they finished there legs
Finishing a leg with two guys standing their saying good job … get in the car we gotta go.
Realizing will driving with HoneyDo from U of R to Twin Team as we pass 4 guys running 10 miles in the middle of the night…. only a handful of people even know these guys are doing this right now… and the only accolades they will get is some pats on the back and the respect of their brothers… meanwhile there will be 1000’s of people only running 6 ish miles the next day expecting a parade for themselves… Integrity is doing what is right even when no one else is watching ( yep that’s the shit that pops in your brain at 4:30 in the morning)…
and in case you didn’t know The Lewis Ginter botanical gardens are amazing..and Richmond is a really awesome place ask Hardywood….
The scariest thing of the night is 4-5 Middle Aged white dudes in a van running security on Azalea…
thank you HoneyDo for making me apart of the Masters of Disaster team it was awesome
You are welcome to join us at MANNDate on any Wednesday Kubota! I have a 25lb with your name on it.
A truly epic event. One for the ages. My ruminations after a two day hiatus from life
1. The 2nd F that this event brought out was amazing. Seeing guys you haven’t seen in a while and meeting new guys that you hadn’t met before was great. Nothing better than an event like this to bond us all together.
2. Love seeing guys of all abilities out there. That is what it is all about. Bootleg is a beast, he started doing runs several months ago and has progressed so much in the that time. Viral kicking it in on a leg…priceless. Flipper being a LIFO and getting a couple legs in.
3. Was it a “race” or not. Sure seemed like it was when we were out chasing each other down. The good news is that it was a friendly competition where everyone was helping everyone else get down the road. Special thanks to Rosie here for pushing me on the last leg. I suspect if it were life and death he could’ve caught me…
4. Loved hanging out with the boys at Azalea. We did not blend into that environment at all. We were truly fish out of water there.
5. There is truly something wrong with all of us. We get a free pass for a night and what do we do? Run a 100 mile race. No drinking, debauchery, etc….? A truly unique group of guys. ‘What a blessing.
6. Marcel Marceau verbally quoting the directions to me for the Mary to Roller Coaster leg verbatim and then getting lost on the first turn…
7. The bars on Grove avenue were hopping when we ran by. Maybe the guy from Spider run was coming home from there….it sure seemed like it.
8. Saabski on his monthly cycle…enough said
9. The roller coaster challenge getting crushed by all the teams. All sub 5 minute performances…damn, I wish I could run that fast…just once
10. Swirly’s fist leg. He laid down an 8 minute pace on a hilly 6 mile run. He was pushing to stay in front of Tobit and made it…impressive run. (P.S. I was glad Tobit didn’t catch him, because I was fearful of the consequences had he tried to pass Swirly)
11. Course markings were awesome (on legs 1, 6, 7, and 8). Love you Splinter
Finally, thanks to Splinter for pulling this all together. Yes, I know you had a bunch of help on this and couldn’t have done it without the help….but…..one guy has to stand up and take the lead and make stuff like this happen. Without his vision and drive on this, we wouldn’t have had this awesome CSAUP!
I freaken loved this guys – proud of all of you who participated . Thanks to Splinter and all the team leaders for putting this together. Thanks to Kubota for rocking the grill . Big thanks to Screen door for coming up and joining us. This was an event that is sure to be discussed for years to come – can’t wait till the next one !!
See y’all in the gloom…
Way to embrace the suck, Fudd.
What an amazing event. Great job heading this up Splinter.
Watching Tobit drafting behind Sippy Cup for miles down 301.
Great kettlebell challenge DaVille and glad to see a bunch of you show up even though you weren’t able to run.
All the support from non-runners – Gomer Pyle, Mudface, Spit, Phonics, Helix, Circle K and 2.0s, Ronnie, Pucker, Fudd?, Aisle 5, Mr. Roper.
The first few AOs as huge party stops and watching the Sheriff circle us like a shark at DaVille.
Seeing Viral take off at blazing speeds wondering if he could keep that pace to catch Flipper.
Wondering what Swirly would do if Tobit tried to pass him heading to Heartbreak Ridge.
Seeing Screen Door’s tron in the distance on Huguenot Road, knowing I probably couldn’t catch up but keeping me moving up those long hills
Helping Swirly, Shakedown and Lab Rat navigate through the neighborhood of my youth.
Flat Tire getting swept up in the fun and deciding to take a leg to be more involved in the event even though he didn’t plan on running at all. And buying a pair of running shorts at Walmart at 2 am for said leg.
Gumbo, absolutely crushing leg 16, holding off Screen Door.
Thanks to Dutch for having fresh legs and giving TYA a big lead and to give me a reason to push through the trails.
Seeing the entire group at the finish cheer on TYA with me chasing over the last stretch.
Does it get any more CSAUP than that? And all through the middle of the night with only a few wrong turns and minimal discussions with law enforcement. How do you top that?
FREAKING AWESOME! I’m still on an adrenaline high from this event. Love reading all the memories and stories. What a great time competing with each other and enjoying fellowship and also getting to know guys I don’t get a chance to see or talk to much. Nothing like staying up all night, competing and trying to find a damn song to listen to on the radio. Just to add a few more memories to the list above:
1. Seeing Goose, Taxi Cab, Wedding Singer and Wheelbarrow shoot off like rockets out of Dogpile and the anticipation of the cannonball run experience that we were about to embark on was exhilarating.
2. Watching the cat and mouse between Tobi and Sippy was epic. As was trying to navigate the course and find places to stop and check on the runners.
3. The KB Beast…I mean talk about ratcheting up the CS in CSAUP…Love it.
4. The LONG dark roads in DaVille…intestinal fortitude is all I have to say. Kudos to those runners for sure. Loved seeing the DaVille guys companion run and Honeymoon not even think twice about jumping in and escorting LugNut to Atlee High School — might have been because we sandbagged the distance and told him it was only 1 more mile…oops! Well done Honeymoon.
5. Hearing what I was sure was a fountain on Pocahontas as I tried to keep my mind off the pollen I was ingesting.
6. Watching Lab Rat and Jville EH the Sheriff at Atlee. Dude better post tomorrow!
7. Monitoring the Taco Bell drive thru line on Azalea as we waited for the runners to come by and then nearly ending their run early on Westwood before Tobit or Wheelbarrow said “RUNNERS”…
8. Tracking Flatline cruising through Raintree with lazer-like focus.
9. Driving out to GridIron and seeing EF Hutton coming back the opposite way on Pump Road and realizing just how bad Tuckahoe was kicking our ass.
10. Passing 3 campus police as I flew into UR to drop off Rosie and then weaved back out to find Honeymoon.
11. Getting back to the Motherland (SOJ BABY) and watching Rosie try to track down Screen Door…a monumental task, but my man gave it his all and laid down a stellar 10 mile run.
12. Weaving through Salisbury in the wee hours of the morning and having Lab Rat yell at me to “Go away so I can walk” but doubling back often to see him never walking.
13. Trying to negotiate a computer swap between my Father-in-law and wife and completely missing the handoff from Flat Tire at Timberwolf, taking off running with my sweatpants still on as the sun was up and temp was rising and then closing the deal on the phone with the M for the first 1/2 mile.
14. Seeing Rosie driving the Expedition 15 mph on Lucks Lane to provide cover from on-coming traffic — THANKS!
15, DONUTS…Fat Boys Run for ONLY 1 REASON!!!
16. Tracking Dutch, Offshore and Trophy through the brutal Jahnke Road leg…it was hot and there was lots of traffic. You guys are studs!
17. Hearing TYA negotiate terms for the trail run with Rosie and Flatline.
18. Enjoying a cold Wheelbarrow Brew (nicely done my man!) and scarfing down a brat expertly cooked by Kubota while enjoying more fellowship at the finish line.
19. Welcoming Flatline in to finish the race for SOJ and realizing he added in Love Hill just to put an exclamation point on the race.
Like I said at the beginning…FREAKING AWESOME!
Awesome time! So happy we proved all our M’s wrong and nobody got kilt….it was close though…
-Leg 2: completely awful route thru the swamp. I did spot 3 beavers though. Squirt 2 cars with my water bottle and was for sure that one of them was on his way back to say something. It was just Flatline though! My response was going to be “meet me at Washington Henry, we’ll have a chat”, knowing that 30 of my boys were there.
-Leg whatever went to Gridiron: Awesome run in the peace and quiet of Short Pump (WHAT?!?). Saw Hutton on his way out with a BIG lead. Saw 3 cars, nice wide lanes with some sidewalk. I was happy. Got suckered in to running this leg by Phonics, who hinted at coming out in the morning to run half of 14. He did not.
-Leg 14: Death march that I had been dreading all night. Leave the parking lot, go uphill. Passed a deer that stood there and watched me like, “WTF is he doing?”. Ran right by her, she never moved. Set in to embrace a whole lot of suck, when up at a turn was the Gumbo-mobile to cheer me on and show the way! Also, hooked me up with a Clif bar which I tried to eat while running. Half way thru, HoneyDo pulled me out of purgatory and Flipper was cool enough to drive us home.
Other stuff:
-Everybody was cool with Lab Rat being the “voice of reason” and chatting up two cops.
-Offshore breaking the golden rule and talking to me while we were going #2 at Wal-Mart.
-Making many jokes about “going #3” for Offshore’s sample collections.
-HoneyDo blowing up my phone while Lola and I went camping on the wrong side of the Circus.
-My wife meeting me at the end of leg 2….not to cheer me on, but to tell me one last time that we are all idiots. Yeah, heard you the first 30 times…
-Finding out that Lola and Shakedown ran almost the entire way back to Punisher together because Lola waited for him….then at the end, Shakes let Lola go ahead so it wouldnt look fishy. This should probably be a secret, but it makes me happy.
-Meeting up back at Dogpile with Mighty Mouse and new puppy in tow so that we could be told these things: -look at those paws! -She’s going to be huge! -You realize how much she will eat? All worth it to watch her chase Wedding Singer’s 2.1 around the parking lot.
Great time, cant wait for BRR!
BT-kids sports, right!?! Willie, my 2.0, will be looking for a Bon Air Team next year so seriously, keep us in mind. Great 2nd F at Heartbreak Ridge!
Fudd, seriously, next year just stay in the fartsack. You really “earned” your shirt……..Reminds me of your rat year, when you would wear your “civies” trying to get down the steps in barracks and to golf practice….
What a great event! I was so pumped going in and it didn’t disappoint. I tried explaining to people what we were doing and they generally just looked at me with confusion. I suppose one man’s hell is another man’s heaven. Leaving DogPile at 7 on Friday night only to return 14 hours later, yet feeling like a week had passed, still wouldn’t miss this experience for anything.
So many great points have already been mentioned. Just a few more.
1) Great markings through Windsor Farms, especially through the bushes.
2) Viral “You’re going the wrong way!” as I passed the PAX heading to GridIron on my way back to Heartbreak.
3) Jack@ss peeling out of Short Pump Cookout and the cloud of smoke left behind at Broad and Pump. I hope your baby mama was impressed.
4) UpChuck’s navigating, the kind where you tell the driver they just missed the turn as you drive by each turn.
5) Returning to DogPile and finding a dozen cars still in place not sitting on cinder blocks, but confused as to why a homeless guy which turned out to be Gomer had removed the tank from Kubota’s grill.
Sold me out for chicken change
Lol!
Sorry, but it’s a feel-good story, and you can’t hide that under a bushel!
It’s all good in the hood. Both of us wanted to run with a partner, we are about the same speed, the way we arranged it was more fair to our teammates since it maintained the lead (about a minute and a half) that they started the leg with. Next year I won’t show the M my route – lol
Permits had their privileges baby!
First, thank you goes out to Splinter and than the captains of these 4 teams!!
I missed the start due to my 2.0 baseball game–yes we won, 9-8 so I new Friday night into Saturday was going to be even better!!
I drove like a bat out of hell to get to Manndate in time. As I approach Mann Drive, I see a tron and all is well. I see Labrat and begin the cheers that lasted all night. And Labrat tells me, “next right.” And I see Mann Drive and I think, that rings a bell but keep driving. I approach 301 and light bulb goes on. I need to turn on Mann Drive. Welcome to Da’Ville.
I lost track of the legs but here you go:
Deputy Dewey at Atlee High School and Labrat welcoming him to F3. Rosie, Viral, and I breaking out Caselogic for a few burned CD’s-Ghetto Booty Mix…..great collection while waiting for Lola and Shakedown.
Viral off like a missile to catch Flipper…yup adrenanline fo sho!
Hoedown-tying a bow tie before I started my run….yes, I tracked down J’ville and told Raintree to kiss my ass!! As Tobit said, “Fuck Raintree!!” Swirly, Tobit, and Honeydo-great runs.
Sorry to miss UofR–kid sounded like he was banged up!!
At Twin Team, Screendoor said, “That run was all up hill.” I have lived in RVA most of my life and never even thought about that, but SO TRUE!! Rosie, Screendoor, and Lola-Respect!
Leaving Twin Team for SOT–driving through neighborhood I grew up in….old memories but loved seeing those trons through Salisbury and to Charter Colony. Shakedown and Swirly–RESPECT because Charter Colony looked LONG at 0630 in the am!! What is this crap about picking up and not finishing a route??? What kinda BS….
Flatire, yup old school for sure….Midlo baby!! Great to see you in the PAX and pick up a route!! SOT at dawn, sweet!
Gumbo, you crushed Timberwolf to No Toll. Sugar Shack at No Toll and still able to see Tuckahoe. Not bad SOJ!!
Trophy–way to move and great to see you!! Tough leg for sure and Jahnke Road to Batteau.
Yes, TYA, Rosie, and I were the last ones for glory leg…..I ran through Buttermilk, like Willem Dafoe in Platoon, trying to catch Rosie and TYA, more TYA but once I got to North Bank, I knew it was a lost cause and I was smoked. Suns out and it was 70 degree for sure!
When I summited North Bank, I knew PAX was looking for me to arise over the hill….so I decided to pay Love Hill some respect and finish this mofo with all heart and get it all out!!
Thank you Fudd for shout out…..as you were driving away after sleeping all night!! And do you know what made it all worth it for me? My family was there to see me finish!!! I had big tears in my eyes as I approached the shovel flags!!
To My SOJ Teammates—-we started as one team and finished as one team. No FRESH SUBS or DROPOUTS!! Number 1 Team without a doubt!!
F3 RVA PAX….what a night!! I have so much respect for all those dedicated their night, energy, time, and showed a commitment unlike I have ever seen!!! EPIC and AWESOME to know each of you and call you my brothers!!
Kubota–thanks for food at the end!!
Only those who post understand!! Century Classic (CSAUP) is a testament to this.
LOUD and PROUD!!
Great event and an awesome time! Stayed awake on pure adrenaline to coach my kid’s soccer team before crashing hard at 3pm.
1. Catching up with Sippy on Laburnum and appreciating his help as we navigated Azalea to Meadowbridge.
2. Thinking I could keep up with Sippy for all of Leg 2 and finally watching his blue trons shove ahead up the hill to Atlee.
3. Watching Rosie completely destroy the Hillcrest loop.
4. The creepy vehicle that kept circling near Hoedown with the lights off (must have been a nervous rich white guy)
5. Listening to country tunes in Gumbo’s ride with the windows down while waiting in sketch town for Shakedown to roll by.
6. Viral’s wall hit at an eighth of a mile.
7. Seriously contemplating the consequences if I caught up to Swirly on the way to Heartbreak and thanking God when Raintree road finally came to an end.
8. Seeing the coffee and donuts at No Toll along with Mr. Roper and Aisle 5’s happy, well slept faces.
9. Wandering around Dogpile with one of Wheelbarrow’s home brew (awesome BTW) bottles in my hand until Shakedown reminded me it was a public park and a solo cup was seriously needed.
10. Watching Flatline bring SOJ to the finish line.
11. Wishing the return to the “real world” hadn’t come so quickly.
I invite anyone that wants to question my dedication to do so to my face. I ran one leg because i had commitments to a wife and kids that I don’t see very much. If that means I get ridiculed from the people that call themselves my brothers, then fine….I’m willing to accept that. Just have the balls to do so to my face rather than through social media.
The part I was able to attend (legs 1-5) was really great. Some highlights:
1. Tobit staying on my tail for 3+ miles on leg 2. It was too narrow to run side by side, and the pace was too fast for much conversation. But it was a serious competition.
2. Being grateful to the team for not having me kettlebell after that leg!
3. Being passed by a cop car with sirens blazing on Atlee Rd. First thought–they are on their way to MannDate to shut down our shenanigans.
4. The cross-cultural Azalea experience with Swirly on lookout from the van.
5. Seeing Bootleg take the baton from Hardwood on leg 6 and head into the gloom. Amazing improvement since he started last fall!
I look forward to the full experience next year–hopefully we can work it out on a different weekend than the 10K.
Fudd, simmer down bud! You served up the “hard earned race shirt..” You know we love you and of course call you a brother.
Those first few legs were hot! I think I saw TYA run faster than ever before on the home stretch. Just wanted to say thank you to Splinter, TYA/Swirly, and all those who helped put it together. Great event. Hope to do it again next year.
Flat Tire bought some shorts late night? That is awesome!
He couldn’t run in his SOJ issued jorts so a trip to Walmart to find some running jorts was in order.
I overheard Viral telling his story of hitting the proverbial wall, then disclosing it was at an eighth of a mile. Classic Viral right there boys. Way to push through the wall Viral!
First off, thanks to all who had a hand in putting this together. Second, thanks to the entire PAX of F3RVA for letting me come crash the party. What an amazing event and amazing group of guys. Here are my top memories of the night:
Rolling in hot to Dogpile merely seconds after the runners left the shovel flags after having sat in traffic on 64 for two hours. TYA didn’t recognize me when I got out of the car since I was still in uniform from work, and he has only ever seen me in running attire.
It was awesome to put faces to names (and voices). As a regular listener to the podcast, I am well-versed in much of the F3RVA lore, but I was finally able to meet a lot of you for the first time here.
Big thanks to TYA and the Richmond proper team for not only telling me which legs to run, but making sure I didn’t get lost while doing it. The only time I knew where I was, was when I was at the top of the hill on Hillcrest. The rest of the time was just blind hope. There is no way I would have made it to No Toll without the van stopping to wait for me at every turn.
For Spider Run to Twin Team, I was convinced that Rosie was about to blow by me at any second. I was also convinced that my legs were just going to give up and stop working going up that 9 mile long hill. I have never had a more enjoyable hill than coming down the final stretch into Twin Team until I realized that Swirly had to turn around and run right back up to the top.
Overall, just a fantastic event with too many highlights to list them all. Again, thanks for all the hard work. And come see us in Hampton Roads some time.
Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to running with you for BRR!
Cmon we need a few more comments to overtake Toga’s Balls BB! We need a tentative date for next year…
Next year, let’s form teams by the conference your college alma mater is in: ACC, CAA, A-10(VCU), other.
That would be good but would have some trouble with my conference. Any other Big South members out there??
Region competition is hard to beat, but if we mix it up, we go with a draft or handicaps to try to make them as even as possible. Would love to see 4 or 5 guys diving for Flag at Dogpile on Saturday morning to win the prize.
VMI had a brief stint in the Big South. Even if us Southern Conference and former Big South conference members combine, we might have trouble making a team.
As much respect as I have for Toga’s balls, an epic event like that CSAUP should surpass that in comments.
Throwing out April 5-6 to pencil in.
Gumbo, I think you misunderstood, he was talking about College conferences. Its not about institutes. In order to qualify to have to have gone to a four year college or university. Maybe next time.
Is that the end of public school Spring Break next year? If so, it may knock some folks out but it would also mean fewer sports conflicts that Saturday.
Thanks for the clarification TYA. Us institutionalized folks are kinda slow…guess I’ll have to rely on my Boston College degree and be ACC or my UR degree and be A-10…
Or, Bleeder, Fudd, Flatline and I can recruit for an Institute Team. We have a couple others done we?
Region-based teams are the way to go, and I look forward to the course next year with any new AOs added.
The 2019 10K is April 13th–what about the weekend after that, April 19-20.
I like region teams and we go backwards from this years route. And your team MUST BE PRESENT THE ENTIRE TIME! None of this sub bullshit….
4 captains a draft could be interesting too?!?!
Flatline Oh boy your an Angry Elf aren’t you…. I like more inclusion of the Pax not exclusion … if you can run a leg great… if you can stay all night great… if you can’t be there for hotdogs and brews because you got other responsibilities great…just be apart of the event and the brotherhood…
I like regions…Or how bout random numbers doesn’t matter it’s a great time anyway you slice it…
Love your enthusiasm Flatline
I had another response, but I like yours better.
Peace and chicken grease,
Lab Rat
Lol – Love ya brother but you are intense ???
Don’t forget man, you didn’t see the start because you had obligations… like Flipper said, inclusion is best. We are busy men because we are working family men with a lot of responsibilities. We are lucky to get to do this stuff as much as we do.
Alright, alright…..angry little elf will calm down! Yes, I had prior obligations–leading my son’s baseball team to victory!! Than busting ass to find the PAX….sacrifices for one night of pure awesomeness!!
I do say we run the routes backward though!
Flipper-I do get pumped up and hate losing!!
It’s settled – Flatline has to run next year dressed in an Angry Elf costume.
Just as an FYI to the proposal of 4/19-4/20 is that that is Good Friday and Easter weekend. Not saying it should be out, but it may present some problems for folks.
Good thing we started planning early. Let’s avoid Easter if we can.
Side note – balls in the mist is toast
Geez, between Fudd and Flatline you VMI guys sure can be testy. How does Gumbo stay so relaxed?
I hope to be a HC for next year but April is already looking bad from what I’m reading here.
More than likely we will not be able to field a DaVille team so I’m willing to sign a one-year deal with any nano-region. Let the bidding start now!
3/22 – 3/23. Avoids: private school spring break, public school spring break, 10k, easter, probably the belmonte, colonial relay, st patricks day.
It’ll probably be windy and rainy as hell, but there won’t be any conflicts.
And, the Cavaliers will already be knocked out of the NCAA tourney, so all good.
Splinter has spoken…let the tapering begin!
Splinter for the win!
It’s official, Spit can see the future! And for the record, I am not mad. Pure competitor and all heart!
Round 2 has officially began!
Although… http://www.holidays-and-observances.com/april-22.html
But the benefit of running on 4/20 is….oh wait, wrong forum.
I am currently working on my second eighth … 😀
Spoiler alert … I never caught Flipdog
Sorry about that, Hutton … I actually thought I was helping … not adding kerosene to the Tuckahoe-versus-SOJ fire.
TYA will still find some way to game it so his team has all the ringers and bat flippers …
T-Claps to THAT