Tough Enough 2010

Whew.

Pork Chop and the Masters of Delusion won yesterday’s Tough Enough 65-mile relay in 7:02, setting, if the race director eventually decides there are Masters records, a men’s master’s record. Their time is the fastest of the past six runnings. Dave Saunders, Lief Reynolds, Scott Ingraham, Eric Forte, Tim Strand. Only four minutes later, Raise Your Hand If You Like To Run (7:06) set a new mixed-team record, 34 minutes ahead of the previous record: Kaleena & Nick Bruckbauer, Jimmy O’Dea, Matt Shaner, Taylor Hemming.)

Tri and Find Our Shortcut (7:13), former mixed-record holders The FUGAWII?!?! (7:21, well under their previous record), Nuff’s Enuff (7:32). And then (drum roll, but loose Jack DeJohnette kind of drum roll): TUFF LUV, in pink (with matching arm toasters), rewrote the previous women’s record by 35 minutes. They did try to find a shortcut, an early mistake costing an extra half-mile; more significant, they set the new event standard for last-minute team-member cancellation (5:15 am race day). So only four ran: Chrystee Bradley, Michelle McToldridge, Kary O’Brien, and team mayordoma Drea McLarty. Excellente.

Five ultrarunners: Scott Young ran a hot performance on a cold day (38F at La Cumbre Peak when he passed, and only “warmed” to 41 when the bulk of the teams went by); Scott ran 10:37. John Hoenigman, ever-cheerful, 12:05; Berti Levy and Carrie Brewer ran together, an hour faster than they expected, in 15:08 (and had Carrie’s cute daughter run them in); and Jennifer Paludi, tired but game (with her glowing-collared dog on leash) in 15:51. (Kudos to last-placers We Don’t Give a Rat’s Ass for waiting for Jen to come in, too.)

Random awards:
— Chains for Brains, five athletes, four bikes, and more than any other team, taking the phrase “put some skin in the game” to heart. (Or left hip. Plus rocks lodged in helmet, two riders for that.)
— Joe Battles Colonless Queen had the snappiest name
— DNR/DTR for most entertaining support vehicle
–FUGAWII as attitude leaders (Is the RD only saying that because they gave him a shirt [take no notice he’s suddenly talking in third person]? Possibly.)

Great party during the race, great party at the end when it had warmed up a little. A dozen teams in various stages of team outfit/uniform (“uniform” not being the first word to come to mind for some of the team choices.)

Once again, at the heart of it, the runners make the event: Thanks.

Ultra
10:37 Scott Young
12:05 John Hoenigman
15:08 Carrie Brewer and Berti Levy
15:51 Jen Paludi

Relay
7:02 Pork Chop and the Masters of Delusion (Dave S.)
7:06 Raise Your Hand If You Like to Run (Nick B.)
7:13 Tr1 and Find Our Shortcut (Zach Komon)
7:21 The FUGAWII?!?! (Scott DeVore)
7:32 Nuff’s Enuff (Willie Rossow)
7:36 TUFF LUV (Drea)
7:57 Team Elite (Todd Tressler)
8:08 Team DILF (Rob Ramirez; “That’s not what we meant” team name award)
8:18 Running Your Numbers (Dylan Jones)
8:24 Inigo Montoya and the Buttercups (Brian Dutter)
8:29 Chains for Brains (Jim Johnson, Rick Jones, Pete Feldman, Tom Hilzer, Tony Davis)
8:49 Thrash Hula (Michael Larkin)
8:50 Power Tuff Girls!!! (Liz Groom)
8:56 Forest Service
8:56 Joe Battles Colonless Queen
8:57 Direct Relief International #1 (Kristin Brown)
9:13 RAGE (Chrissy Faulding)
9:23 Ragnar Tuneup (Zach Owen) (event record for last-minute ‘drop-back-in’ [new category], 9:15 the night before)
9:25 FOG (Duane Gardner)
9:26 Beauty and the Beasts (Dan Shimuzu)
9:27 Oldies but Goodies (Dave Groom)
10:00 66er’s (Ed Wehan; if we have an over-65 mixed-team record, this is it)
10:04 Direct Relief International #2
10:07 The Missing Toenails (Evy Kemmerer
10:07 DNR/DTE (Nichol des Jardins)
10:16 Happy Trails (Julianne Hastings)
10:37 GKA! (Lisa Welch)
10:49 Not Volleyball (Casey Hare, who ran alternating legs with his teammates)
10:53 Cottage Handshakes (Skyler Lyon; honorable mention for team names)
12:02 K-5 (Amy Lebolt)
12:06 We Don’t Give a Rat’s Ass (Happe Snappe, aka Bob Peltcher)

Thanks to co-RD and shirt maven Cooper Atkinson; to the Rats for running sweep; and to Direct Relief International, who do extraordinary work world-wide and who will receive the net on the event to further that work.