Chapter SIX

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. As are stories and races. Unfortunately, you can invent things like automatic popcorn poppers. You can invent things like steam-powered window washers. But you can’t invent more time. And our time for generating this story is coming to a close.

All these things are miracles. It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do. It is even a miracle that you get to share the woods and hills with a community of good people just a few days ago. And it is a miracle that you saw no monkeys, for that would be a disastrous fate.

It was a delight to see you do your best. Doing is better than trying. Nobody wants to hear that you will try your best. It is the wrong thing to say. It is like saying 'I probably won't hit you with a shovel.' Suddenly everyone is afraid you will do the opposite. So I wish you a wonderful day, plenty of pie, and some warm socks for the best of things that you have done.

However, I must leave you with this ominous warning, my good friends. The quoting of an aphorism, like the angry barking of a dog or the smell of overcooked broccoli, rarely indicates that something helpful is about to happen.

fin

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On today, Thanksgiving Day, I want to express my gratitude to you all. I am thankful that you came out and tested yourself upon the hills and woods that the Warner Parks have to offer, some of you two days in a row. I am thankful for the mild weather, cool and misty on one day, lovely and bright on the other. I am thankful for ALL of our volunteers, who--as usual--had more fun than the runners! I am thankful for all the incredible food and drink we shared after your little jog around the park. I am thankful for all the strong support and assistance from the Nashville Striders and the Friends of Warner Parks, which together allowed us to serve you up two races this year!

In this year, I am also deeply thankful for our sponsors who brought us fluids and gels, people to fill the aid stations, locally roasted coffee, awesome socks, ice packs, and many other things to make the day great. And I am thankful as well for all the runners, the charity runners, and the monetary sponsors who will allow this race to make a substantial monetary donation to the Friends of Warner Parks again this year.

And as always, I am thankful that you could be a part of the exclusive community of Monkeys.

Thank you.

Furthermore:

Results are up on the website. Enjoy them. I suspect a few of them may even be accurate. http://harpethhillsmarathon.com/Runners.html

Pictures of the FULL are up, courtesy of David Martin Photography! You prepaid for these, so they are yours for the downloading. Enjoy!

https://davidmartincreative.pixieset.com/2019harpethhillsflyingmonkey/

For pictures of the HALF Monkey, hit up the Nashville Striders Gallery Photos at http://www.nashvillestriders.com/. Go to the Galleries, then select Gallery 2019 and Flying Monkey Half Marathon. Click on any photo and right click, and select "save image as.."

As always, please feel free thank our heroic volunteers! They did a bang up job and I am both proud and appreciative. The best way to thank them is to give feedback either via an email to the volunteer coordinator and me, or through a review on Facebook, so have at it.

I hope you will have a great Thanksgiving, and enjoy some more pie. First, maybe, go for a run. Come visit the park, and enjoy the hills. Don't be a stranger.

And come back to see us next year. The Race will be the weekend of November 21 & 22, 2020. That gives you just under 52 weeks to "prepare".

Country Fried

Trent