After starting in Calistoga at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and running 199 miles, we finished in Santa Cruz at 11:22 this afternoon. That works out to a total time of 20 hours and 22 minutes, which was more than good enough for first place.
We really cruised on our way to our second straight title, shaving roughly 20 minutes off last year's winning time. We also passing every team on the course again, even those that started 8 hours ahead of us.
It was a great race this year. Great performances. Great guys. Great times. And a great victory!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Stevens Canyon
The sun is up and Van 1 is almost done with its last leg. My run came out of Los Altos and up Stevens Canyon Road. It wasn't as hilly as the two insane climbs that followed, but I definitely wasn't feeling fast. I just gutted it out and handed off to the to Joel. Felt good to be done, even if I didn't feel fast. Time for Van 2 to bring home the victory!
Good morning
Van 2 has waken from it's slumber. Bodies are sore. Spirits are high.
Beautiful mountains are outside. 'Every Rose Has a Thorn' is blaring
on the radio. Does life get any better?
Beautiful mountains are outside. 'Every Rose Has a Thorn' is blaring
on the radio. Does life get any better?
Is it naptime yet?
Its 1:46AM PDT, and we're waiting on Jimmy to wrap up his leg over the
Golden Gate Bridge. The sights are beautiful. (If could get my camera
to take decent photos at night, I would show you.). Despite the views
all I can think of is taking my contacts out and getting a real nap
before our last set of legs.
Golden Gate Bridge. The sights are beautiful. (If could get my camera
to take decent photos at night, I would show you.). Despite the views
all I can think of is taking my contacts out and getting a real nap
before our last set of legs.
--
Sent from my mobile device
Wake up #1
Just woke up. This is an insane hour of the night to be waking up
after a power nap. Just read Chris's report of rain just north of the
Golden Gate... no rain here on the south side. Let's hope it stays
that way.
after a power nap. Just read Chris's report of rain just north of the
Golden Gate... no rain here on the south side. Let's hope it stays
that way.
Rain!
We're in the middle of leg 17 and it just started raining -- a good, steady downpour. Looks like Jimmy's gonna get wet as he crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and heads into San Francisco.
Leg 16 Done, Despite Stomach
I had a nice easy 5.3 miler, starting at about midnight. The weather was cool, and I was ready to go. But my stomach wasn't. About half a mile into my run I started to feel sick. I just pushed on, though, and came in close to me predicted time -- and still unde r6-minute miles. I guess it wasn;t all bad. I gutted it out and didn't even throw up at the finish line.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Leg 12
Finished my first leg a while ago. Felt great. Luckily the wind died
down after the sun set. After climbing the hill, I just flew down the
back side and kept a healthy clip after that. We just arrived at the
south end of the Golden Gate for a little over an hour of rest before
we'll need to get up and get ready to start cranking on our second legs.
down after the sun set. After climbing the hill, I just flew down the
back side and kept a healthy clip after that. We just arrived at the
south end of the Golden Gate for a little over an hour of rest before
we'll need to get up and get ready to start cranking on our second legs.
Have a good night, everyone.
Wardrobe Malfunction
Van 1 is back on the road. Tom just finished his second leg, but the real story was the start. Van 2 came in a bit earlier than we expected, and Tom scrambled to get his warm-ups off in time. We had a tangled reflective vests, some frustration, and Tom running in pants. He put in a srong run, though, and we're moving right along. We're catching up to lots of teams now. San Francisco, here we come!
what's that...my ipod works in the van??
for those of you not up on my ipod adapter woes: due to a fuse blowing in the last race, my van has had to rely on the radio. but NO MORE! all it took was a new fuse and spring borrowed from a dismantled ball point pen. i WIN!
Leg 4 Down
I just finished my first leg -- Leg 4. It was 7.4 miles of very gentle hills through Napa vineyards. I ran well, even if I went out just a little fast. I came in at a 6:01 pace, which was right on my expected pace. I felt good and the end and built our lead over the LA Front Runners up to about four minutes. Feels great to have the first leg down.
... And We're Off
Tom is on the road, making his way out of Calistoga right now. We're off to a good start!
The Perfect Storm
"It's Earth Day, Passover, a full moon, and 4/20 all in the same
weekend. It's like the perfect storm! If only I were a druid warewolf
Jew living in the Haight..." - Big Cat
weekend. It's like the perfect storm! If only I were a druid warewolf
Jew living in the Haight..." - Big Cat
Van 2, checking in. Playlist thus far: Bruce, Killers, Daft Punk, JT,
Quiet Riot, LL Cool J, and some other randos courtesy of our DJ D-
Train. Kerry's trying to keep him in line but she has to focus on
drivng this 15-passenger boat through wine country. Some over-served
winery clientele are clogging up the roads.
T-minus 70 minutes until Big Daddy Tom toes the line. Van 2 receives
the baton at ~6:55pm.
Over and out.
Running 199 Miles
Here's a quick run-down of how The Relay works. We have a team of 12 runners. Each runner runs three legs. Each leg is anywhere from 3-9 miles long. When we're done (in a bit over 20 hours), we'll have covered 199 miles from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. That means that we run through the night.
Last year Google One flew past the field. We started last and finished first, passing every team with a head-start well before the finish line. We've had some turnover with our line up, but we're looking for a repeat victory.
Here's the lineup for this year:
Van 1
Van 2
In two hours, our fearless captain Tom will be at the start line to kick it off. Time for some serious running.
Last year Google One flew past the field. We started last and finished first, passing every team with a head-start well before the finish line. We've had some turnover with our line up, but we're looking for a repeat victory.
Here's the lineup for this year:
Van 1
- Tom Phillips
- Adam Borelli
- Daniel Filip
- Chris Holstrom
- Joel Constable
- Jimmy Caputo
Van 2
- Mike Brandell
- Dan Brown
- Eddie Higgins
- Crosby Freeman
- Justin Romaniuk
- Devin Anderson
In two hours, our fearless captain Tom will be at the start line to kick it off. Time for some serious running.
San Francisco Office
Just met up with Van 2 at the SF office. I'd never been to the office before. Man, what an incredible space. We took in the views, grabbed some bananas, waited for Eddie, and put our hands in for a cheer. Let's go team.
Van 1 Ready
Van 1 is loaded up and ready to go. We've got our wireless set up and are on our way from the Google campus to Calistoga. The van doesn't even smell yet.
Friday, April 18, 2008
We have arrived!!
Kerry and I are on the ground in SF, gearing up for the race.
Despite JetBlue losing Kerry's personal luggage...the uniforms have
made it! A quick trip to Neiman's has temporarily relieved the
clothing shortage. :)
--
Sent from my mobile device
Elita Walker
Google, Inc.
New York, NY
elita@google.com
EQ + (IQ - BS) = GQ [I didn't come up with it...but I like it.]
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