This is the second consecutive year my three brothers and I formed a relay team to run the Green River Marathon near Seattle. My brothers said it was OK to get to the race one hour early to catch the early start. Cool! It was a goal of mine to finally meet in person the man they call barefoot Jon. And I was not to be disappointed. We drove up and I picked him out just like I had known him for years. Though this was the first time I've met him, I can tell he is such a warm, sweet, kind, and friendly man. To me, he is just like what a favorite uncle would be like. We embraced with warmth, like we were long time friends and he took a picture of me and another of his many friends. Soon, the early runners were off. The event has grown quite a bit from last year. It is an informal event, with no registration fee, and no traffic control, no expo, and no medal. It is just about the running. There is a core group of volunteers, and this is a labor of love for them. We love and appreciate them. There were 177 solo marathoners registered. We are one of 23 relay teams. Again this year, we had an involved analysis to determine how many miles each of us run. I will leave out the gory mathematical details. Because I am fitter and faster, I am assigned to run about 2.5 more miles than last year, a total of 9.8 miles, the final miles. The conditions are wonderful. It is around 52-55 degrees and cloudy. It had rained hard the day before and there was a lot of concern and contingency planning in case of rain. I can put the trash bag away now. We drive to several points on the race, to take pictures and support the runners by clapping and directing them. The course is not really marked, and there are many twists and turns and it is not uncommon for runners to get lost sometimes. We are waiting at my checkpoint, the 16.4 mile mark, and barefoot Jon runs by! He stops, whips out a camera and insists on taking pictures of our clan and one with him and me! This is hard for a time/ goal oriented person for me to comprehend, but I am truly touched by the joy he has in the moment. My other brothers do well and finally, I am handed the baton. Well, actually, there is no baton, but we high five each other. I have fresh legs, am full of caffeine and sugar and anticipation, and at first, pass the solo runners right and left (some had started an hour early). I catch Jon before long, we exchange more pleasantries and I proceed to lose him (or so I thought). While we hit one of the two small hills on the course, Jon proceeds to high tail it up the hill, and leave me in the dust! Whoa big boy! I am running well, but worry about getting lost. But today there are enough runners for me to follow. My plan is to start fast with high leg turnover and try to push it hard when I get to the last three miles. The miles go quickly, a lot more fun than waiting in the van for my other brothers to finish their legs. The last two or three miles are challenging. There are many solo runners that seem just as strong as me, even though I have only run one third the distance they have. I finish my 9.8 mile leg in 1:20:49, an 8:15/ mi pace. (This is a very good time for me). The brothers finish in 3:38:02, a 8:19/ mi pace, cutting off three minutes and 16 seconds from last years finish. We are all overjoyed. I heard that Chuck Engle ran the race and broke the course record. This was a fun race for me. I got to run with my three brothers and we ran well and improved our time. I also got to meet barefoot Jon in person for the first time, and he is such a warm and beautiful human being. Finally, I really enjoy supporting this race, which is just about people who love to run running together. It is a low budget affair, but I would certainly recommend this race if you are in the great Pacific Northwest.

warm, sweet, kind, and friendly

Thanks Huskydon. it really seemed I'd known you like that for a long time too, especially with your ties up to the University of Washington (me too). However, it sure wasn't very warm but once we got underway, it was perfect until hypothermia time at the finish. With your brothers extending the distance of your leg every year, you might as well run the full marathon and have them wait at the finish! I should have stayed out of the photos as must have broken the camer with some technical difficulties (along with some from Friday night's 5K). Will send when/if it gets figured out (and post separately as evidence of a great weekend). See you next year (unless your brothers can talk you into coming up for Thanksgiving ps - thanks for the nice pacing up the hill!

Great fun! And with your brothers....priceless!

Well done Huskydon, Sounds like you ran very well, and made some memories with family and friends. Keep up the great running! John

That does sound like fun! And any race where you can meet a boomer is a good thing... and I totally agree with your impressions of Tet. He is a lot of fun. I keep thinking I'd like to try the relay at the Equinox instead of the full... but not just yet.

What a wonderful race for the huskydon brothers! And two sweet kind beautiful runners meeting at last. I just can't stop smiling at your great report!

Gosh that sounds like fun! I've always wanted to do a relay, and who better to do it with than your brothers. I really mean YOUR brothers, actually... Great race and report!

Somehow I missed this report too. Sounds like a great time with family and old friends in the PNW And a great race too!! You just keep getting faster! Jim