The Shamrock Run is the traditional season opener for the Portland area racing community. This year was a big dog deal is it was the 30th anniversary of the event!This year saw 16,000+ participants -The event achieved its fourth consecutive attendance record and had an incredible 45% increase over last year's record total of 11,000 runners and walkers!
It's a fun race as a lot of people dress up in goofy costumes. I showed an admirable restraint and ran in normal running gear. It was quite cold, but not raining which in Portland is a bonus, especially so early in the year. I ran well and felt good. The course was incredibly crowded and as I maneuvered through the throngs. At one point I hopped a curb and almost lost my balance. I stumbled and instinctively put my hands out in front of me. Unfortunately my left hand landed on the buttocks of a young lady. Out of the corner of her eye she had seen me stumble so my appalled apologies were accepted gracefully and I finished the race without further incident....except the parking.
I like to be early for a race, and the Shamrock was no exception. I found a parking place a block away from the start line. I was able to sit in my truck with the heater on and enjoy a half hour of visualizing myself striding across the finish line with my chest like the prow of a battleship breaking the tape as I stride across in first place, 3 minutes ahead of the second place finisher. In reality my stomach crosses the finish line before my mighty chest. Anyway, I digress. My strategic parking led to my inability to egress the downtown area! Runners still on the course blocked all potential exits. Oh well, I had picked up the newspaper on my way out the door and had another peaceful half hour of waiting with the heater on as I waited to cross the course.
Next up was the Race for the Roses. The website claims that:"Portland is a town of two halves, one part cosmopolitan quirkiness, the other active outdoorsiness. The same could be said of those of us who live in and around it. For years, this locally run race has allowed runners to exercise both halves in the name of an outstanding, local, cause: Albertina Kerr Centers. Come experience why Race for the Roses has become a must-do event on the Northwest running calendar."
While not as quirky as the Shamrock, it's still a great race that goes over two Portland bridges, the Broadway and Steel bridges. It's cool to see the views, and I mean that literally in the sense of both visual and temperature purposes! It was quite windy on the Broadway bridge, to the point of being quite chilly. Off the bridges and on the streets though it was comfortable. I saw a few friends, and it was a much smaller race. I suppose one quirk is that every finisher gets a medal, and a rose! The tables of cut roses were beautiful to behold.
My next race was one of my favorite events of the year, the Pole Pedal Paddle relay race. This year was memorable for two significant reasons.
First was the heat. It was the hottest race I believe in the 32 year history of the race. It was 85 degrees at the top of Mt. Bachelor and the snow was very slushy. I learned a new term, our downhill skier called it a 'yard sale' as the slope was littered with skis and poles. At the transition from the downhill ski to the skate ski, I watched a poor young lady fall about 10 times in a 15-20 yard stretch!
The second was that yours truly blew the transition from the skate ski to the cycling (my event). I have never, ever missed a transition but I suppose their is a first time for everything. Our skier, when arriving at the transition and not seeing me, left the transition area to look for me. I must have missed him by no more than 5 minutes, and ended up waiting for him not knowing he had been there already. It blew our overall time, but I was pissed and rode very agressively to make up as much time as I could, even knowing that there was no way to recapture our estimated time. The anger and adrenaline gave me a great ride. I flew by the other cyclists on the course at the same time as me like a TDF rider on HGH.
It was 95 degrees at the finish line with no shade! After a few beers we were a team again, and all was forgiven. But I still feel bad!
