Ladies and gentlemen, we have before us a mystery of the most serious variety. A cone has been stolen. Accusations have been made. Fingers have been pointed.
The suspects are as follows:
- Colonel Mustard, in the ballroom, with the rope.
- A saboteur runner who chose to push him or herself beyond his or her limits to beat all of the freaky fast folk (we know who they are), just to move the cone and run away with an evil witch’s cackle.
- Gandalf the Gray.
All are plausible. All are innocent until proven guilty.
Here are the facts:
- The few brave souls who chose to run the MRF marathon at the speed of light were unaware that they had actually signed up for an ultramarathon and that the official race distance would vary from person to person.
- Upon return to the finish line, these runners noticed a minor (read: a couple miles) discrepancy on their watches when compared to the advertised race distance.
- Finisher medals, bananas, cookies, chocolate milk, pretzels, and Clif bars were all a ruse, meant to distract from the mischief impacting the day.
- The MRF Marathon Heist will contribute to the counts needed to legally change the name “2016” to “The Messiest Year that Most People Hope to Wipe Off of the Calendar”.
And yet, Milwaukee remains unafraid, positive, and powerful and is still kickin’.
Perhaps it is due to the possibility of a masked hero among us, sprinkling optimism upon the masses (perhaps Bruce Wayne). Perhaps it is because Milwaukee is too full of beer and cheer to care. Perhaps it is the bout of unthinkably warm weather gracing our fair city.
Perhaps it is a community of neon clothing-clad hoodlums cheering on Brady Street and beyond.
I only ran half (or in some cases, a little less than half) of what those few speed demons ran, but I felt the tangible love from the November Project aid station, fellow NP runners I saw on the course, and NP spectators waiting along the route. It’s always exciting to see NPers on non-Wednesdays or non-Fridays. Running into a fellow tribesman and exchanging a quick (or lingering) hug can make any rough day rosy. And this is why we are constantly working to expand our numbers; the more NPers there are in the city, the more likely it will be that you’ll bump into someone at the grocery store, your favorite brewery, or in the bathroom at the library. These moments are the nutmeg of life – those times you see a familiar face, know that you know their name but you can’t quite think of it, and stand there stuttering, calling them “champ” because their name slipped your mind.
Except at November Project, we practice remembering strangers’ names, so you won’t have to call them “champ”.
Wednesday and Friday mornings are secretly networking opportunities. And Sunday was proof of the giant network we all have created together. There were, according to the Google form, at least 32 volunteers on Brady and 30 runners completing various race distances. That’s huge! I asked November Project race participants to send me their experiences so that I could make a “race report”. Here are some responses:
“November Project Milwaukee had the most energy of any water station, led by Tonieh Welland and crew. Seth Mendez & Dave Larson were just hugging people left and right which I guess helps, too. The amazing Daniel Birk Graham ran a marathon after having a baby in the last week which is wildly impressive. A guy that looked like a bearded Evan Goyke handed out water near Marquette University. [regarding the heist] Maybe there’s just too much awesome in Milwaukee to pack into one marathon?… At least this year, they had beer at the finish.” – Chris “Co. Exec.” Larson
“Nonie. Nonie was the best. Hugs. I liked getting SO many NP hugs on the course!!!” – Nathaniel “Doctor Professor” Stern
“What inspires me for a race, or anything challenging for that matter, has changed over time but on Sunday there was one source of inspiration that outshined them all. The support from November Project. It was outstanding. November Project Milwaukee was everywhere, waiting in line for the bathroom, at the start line, in the race, at a water stop hijacked by our tribe, throughout the course, and at the finish. Through November Project I felt prepared and motivated. Before the race I gave DG a hug and told him how ready I felt for the hills after all the stairs we’ve done. During every mile we either cheered each other on or mentally supported each other to a point where so many November Project athletes supported each other that a runner next to me said “you must be the town favorite.” I told him, “I just have a lot of friends I run with.” So thank you November Project Milwaukee leaders and athletes, you’ve prepared me well for the grueling trials of a marathon and mentally supported me through it.” – Alex “The Magic Bullet” Francis
“No matter how much pain you’re feeling, keep moving, one foot in front of the other, swing those arms, don’t give up! – essentially what I told myself in my head during those last 4-6 brutal miles” – Hans “The Hanz Fonz” Goldenberg
“Puns and ‘your mom’ jokes are 10x funnier when you’re exhaustively running. Free hugs are the best hugs, especially when they’re from November Project volunteers.” – Shawna “From the Ferris Bueller Song” Filipenko
“What got me through the race was motivating other people to do their best rather than focusing on my own pain, because when I thought about making other people smile and helping them get through their race, that’s what helped me get through mine. My whole race was helping Will get to the time he wanted… and thanking the volunteers; what they’re giving back means so much more than the little (just kidding, lot of) pain I was going through.” – John “Doesn’t Even Train and Still Crushes It” Teich
Races are an incredible opportunity to witness the power of the human spirit and immeasurable support we have for one another. John Teich (pictured above) is a shining example of the altruism we all hope to exhibit; the dude not only did not train (caution: stress fracture zone ahead) but signed up solely to encourage a friend (over a period of 26.2ish miles) to finish his first marathon. Like our dearest Dad, DG, said Wednesday, there is a risk for selfish motives surrounding races. However if the world were populated with Teich clones, we’d be a heck of a lot happier on the race route and beyond.
In hindsight, what are a few extra miles but a chance to see the city, a chance to shake out the legs, a chance to spend extra time with your running partners, a chance for even more November Project hugs? Congrats to all who finished MRF, and keep the race reports* coming.
*If you race anything, send me a message on Facebook! Tell me about the experience, what or who kept you going and any digestive woes (always funny). Keep moving, keep grooving. –Christine
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