Run for the Honeywagons!
Posted by z on March 15, 2010
Another road trip for a race, this time North to Everson, WA. We’ve driven passed Everson on the way to Canada many times but I never knew it existed. We hit the road around 7:15 but had to stop off at Tully’s for coffee. We told Marti to be ready at 7:25 but we arrived later; it was closer to 7:45. She futzed around with her GPS and Susan slept in the back seat.
We passed Lynnwood, Everett, Tulalip Casino, Arlington, Mt. Vernon. My bladder was hurting by the time we reached Bellingham and we still had 1/2 hour to go. Finally we pulled into the parking lot. It was full but Morrie wedged the car into a tight spot by the bus barn. We went in to register and my heart sunk when I saw the line to the bathrooms. We filled out our registration, got in line, paid and went to the back of the bathroom line. We waited for a few minutes and I decided to go out to the car. Maybe I could sneak in front of the car, between the front bumper and the bus barn and go out there. Nope, too many people milling about. We headed back to the gym and the porta-potty line only had 5 people in it. Make that 7 after Susan and I hopped in line. By the time everyone was done in the bathroom the race had already begun. We headed out at about the 6 minute mark. We got to the front of the school and there was nobody around. Which way did they go? Someone yelled at us, “They went that-a-way” so off we went. We toodled off and then about three minutes into the run I realized that I hadn’t set my watch to start. Grr!
After a few minutes we caught up to the walkers. We even managed to pass a few of them. We saw a bald eagle fly overhead. And plenty of interesting smells. We ran passed dairy farms with cows lined up. Some of them mooed at us and we mooed back. And we ran passed horses, alpacas, (we had a conversation with them too) and barking dogs. We saw a few more bald eagles.
The run was sort of a loop. Actually kinda like two loops connected by a straight line. We only ran on the same road once for a short distance. People in Everson were courteous in getting over into the other lane as they went by us. Though they were still hurtling by at 50mph! We caught up to the first person at around mile 7. We slowed down to take a Gu but we caught her again around mile 8 and managed to get by her. We set our sights on the next one and soon passed her too. The next woman in line was kinda weaving all over the road and I was a bit concerned but she was listening to her headphones and didn’t seem to be distressed so we left her in our dust too.
There was another long stretch where we gained some ground on people but remained behind them. Once we got down the hill to the last aid station we turned it on. This race needed to be over! We passed three more people with about a mile left. Plodding along we came up on the last two. As soon as I got within arms distance of them they started running. Biotches! I wasn’t having any of that so I poured it on and moved in front. As I did so, one of them said to the other, “Nice and easy, like you do”, to which the other responded, “I don’t know what that means”. The first one admitted that she didn’t know either but still, “nice and easy, like you do”.
Finally, the turn into the parking lot appeared. As I rounded the corner I spotted the speed bump and wondered how I was going to lift my feet high enough to get over it. I managed somehow and came across the finish line. We staggered over to the food counter where they had some bread, ginger snaps, pretzels, juice (no water) and the ass-end of an orange or two.
We sat outside on one of the picnic benches and got into a conversation with a fellow Fanatic. We talked for some time and finally decided to head out to get potato burritos at Casa Que Pasa. Mmmmm.
I never did find out the history of this run or exactly what a honeywagon is and I may never know.
