Shrouded in darkness, the road illuminated just 10 feet in front of me by my bouncing headlight, I pounded out five miles this morning while enjoying a Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me podcast, which, as runners will know, is hosted by Peter Segal, a runner and Runner’s World columnist. On one of their segments, they highlighted a story about Texas Governor (and presidential hopeful) Rick Perry, who apparently shot a coyote while out jogging.
That got me thinking about weird running stories – which, as I was running through the pitch dark, helped take my mind off the possibility of a deer dashing out of the woods to scare the bejeesus out of me (this has happened twice), or rounding a corner to surprise a black bear (not happened yet).
So here’s a few good ones I’ve come across lately.
First there is the story [Thanks, Bob.] of a woman who, for a very good cause, is doing a very sick thing: eating only McDonald’s food for 31 days to train for the Long Beach Marathon. Apparently this is not the first time someone has done this, and the cynic in me can’t help wondering if this is a stunt dreamed up by MickyD’s marketing bureau. But I shut the cynic down, because they’re running and raising money for a good cause. Nothing wrong with any of that. Pass the fries…
“OK, we’re in the Zombie Apocalypse… we all know how that plays out. You’re going to be chased by zombies…” This from one of the creators of a new App to give runners motivation and entertainment. Not getting your brains eaten is definitely a strong motivator. Here’s the video:
This next one pretty much sums up in a nutshell why I want to move to England. Or anywhere in the British Isles, actually. I want to enter a race where I get to tote a barrel of beer up a hill (the race is based on the story of a guy who actually did this with some buddies to refill the pub’s supply of his favorite beer). Actually, that would just be a side benefit of living in England. Mostly I would love to go running through the countryside of Wales or Ireland, dodging sheep and stopping at pubs to fill the carb tanks along the way.
Finally, continuing on the topic of bizarre races, if you are not doing anything next March and happen to be in Siberia, be sure to catch the Baikal Ice Marathon. Not only is the race (a half and a full) in the middle of Siberia. It’s in winter. On ice. And it’s sponsored by a “nature friendly disposable tableware” manufacturer. What’s not to like? (Sorry, Russian laws do not allow you to tote along a .380 Luger.)
