usvi-on-line
Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Link to Pt. 1: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=24953
Saturday, March 23 - 8 Tuff Miles!
Following a fitful night of sleep (good thing I had the nap!) I was up, even by our STJ standards, bright? and early at 5:00AM. I wanted to be able to have a pre-race meal and to top off my "cistern"!
Finally, I donned my race gear and nervously waited for the sunrise...
While I joined the growing throng of race participants making my way towards the VINP building, Leslie was joining a quite different parade - the convoy of eastbound vehicles getting on Centerline Rd. before it was closed.
The scene in Cruz Bay was surreal. I'd never seen that many people anywhere on STJ, let alone crowded in to the area that surrounds the VINP building. I ran into Laura, her husband Jim, their friends Wendi and Pat (all of who I'd met at High Tide) as well as some more members of their illustrious group. The ladies were resplendent in their "Team Mimosa" running shirts! As we all talked and joked about our expectations for the race, Pat remarked that his goal was to not to have to hear paramedics yelling "clear!" as they attempted to restart his heart. I decided that even that wouldn't be as bad as them deciding that using the paddles was a lost cause...
Seriously, just what were my expectations for this race? First and foremost, since I'd progressed from "anyone who runs in this thing is a bloody fool" to "I've got to do this so that I can say that I did", my goals were; to finish, to not injure myself too badly, and, hopefully, to enjoy the moment a time or two along the way. I had a stretch goal that I had established during my training of finishing in 90 minutes. I figured if I could get to the Bordeaux overlook in an hour I might be able to accomplish that.
Speaking of my training, I'm not someone that has always been a runner. I only started running (jogging, really) on any consistent basis in the summer. Where we live in Florida the terrain is flat, even by our state's standards. When we spoke to Peter Alter (8 Tuff founder and race director) at the Tap Room this past fall, he told me that the second water station on the course was at a higher altitude than anywhere in our home state - thanks a lot! As the race day got closer and closer, my weekly miles slowly increased, and I added running the causeway bridges across the Intracoastal Waterway to try and add an elevation component to my preparation.With a week to go, I felt fairly good about how far I had progressed, but still uneasy about how well that would tranlate to race day performance.
Back to Cruz Bay, I met up with Tracy (wearing a "Running Sucks" shirt) Les, Stepanie (who told me that the water bottle on her belt had an emergency supply of rum!), and a couple other folks at Mongoose Junction before excusing myself to join the growing mob queuing up behind the VINP building at the starting line. Standing there as a part of such a huge, diverse crowd, watching the varied ways everyone readied themselves - this was definitely one of those "soak it all in" moments!
There were some pre-race announcements and acknowledgements, a gentleman played The Star Spangled Banner on the saxophone, the US Coast Guard Helicopters executed a flyover, and here it was - we were off and running!
I took a deep breath to quell all of the emotions that the culmination of all of the planning, training, and anticipation brought to the surface before all of the jostling for position (there were nearly 1500 of us!) brought me back to reality. We went past Mongoose Junction, up the hill next to the Lumberyard, through the roundabout - where we were treated to the sounds of the Love City Pan Dragons, and on to Centerline Road!
It didn't take very long to realize that running 55 foot tall bridges in the relatively low heat and humidity of the
central Florida winter was a lot different than tackling the hills of St. John in the Caribbean humidity. I have done this route via Jeep enough times to know in which order the landmarks arrive, but was amazed at how slowly they followed one another when traversing the road on foot! Somewhere near the two mile mark I conceded the fact that I would be reduced to walking at least some of the uphill portions of the course.
The people of STJ that supported the race were awesome! All of the aid stations were well staffed with volunteers eager to provide water or Gatorade, musicians, both solo and in groups were performing alongside the road in a number of locations, but the thing that stood out the most to me were the number of spectators that gave non-stop encouragement to all of the participants.
By the time I got to the Taino drummers at Bordeaux, I was almost 10 minutes behind where I'd hoped to be at that point. A 90 minute time wasn't in the cards for me today, but I was still on my feet, and seeing Coral Bay below was a big psychological boost. Despite the early start time, the rising sun was becoming more and more of a factor, and I joined in the ad-hoc conga line that snaked from side to side across the road in an effort to run in the shade as much as possible!
Runners that had finished the race and that were now walking back in the other direction appeared. Eventually the 7 mile marker came into view, then the 8, and as the road wound down toward the Coral Bay triangle, I knew that the end was indeed in sight! People shouting encouragement lined both sides of the street. I turned left and made my way towards the entrance to the ballfield, until I finally saw this:
I'd like to tell you that, fueled by the sight of the finish line and the exhortations from the crowd, I got a burst of
adrenaline and sprinted strongly to the finish line, but I'm certain that there is photographic and video evidence to the contrary. I did manage to keep chugging along at my pace, but instead of the classic head high/arms raised in triumph pose, mine was more of a "get those paddles ready" look! I finished in a time of 97:36, a bit off of my "secret" goal, but, after a few minutes to replenish my depleted oxygen stores, the EMTs were able to stand down.
With my finisher's medal and lungs full of air:
After Leslie brought me liquid relief, and once she was fairly certain that I'd live, she went back to cheer on more of the runners. Here's the group I'd met with earlier - finishing looking much fresher than I had - I guess the beer bong station around mile 7 must have helped!
There was a big party feel to the finishing area after the race. Several people asked me if I planned to do anything different next year.
"Next year?. Yeah, I'm going to do something different next year, the same thing I've done every other year on this day - anything but drag my butt across this island. Next year. Get real - there was only one "8 Tuff" box on this bucket list. Next year. Right..."
I do have to say that you couldn't have a better cheerleader/supporter for this event than Leslie was for me. Even when her knee surgery got delayed to the point where we knew she wouldn't be able to walk the race, she continued to stay excited about my participation, throughout the training, while making our trip itinerary "race friendly", and before, during, and after the event on race day. The fact that she would have to make her first across island drive "solo" may just have turned out to be "training" for her!
There are many times when we make jokes about "traffic jams" on STJ. But we anticipated that the high number of race participants as well as their assorted supporters, coupled with the limited number of routes back to Cruz Bay, would result in actual island gridlock. While we didn't join in that caravan to see it in person, the scene by the Guy Benjamin School/Skinny Legs/Donkey Diner, has me thinking that our decision to head east to let the crowds dissipate was probably a good one. So, we headed far away from the Coral Bay congestion, to a more traditional STJ traffic jam.
If the decision to chill out at Hansen Bay after the race was a good one, I was seriously rethinking my decision to not have a beer or three in our cooler. All I had was St. John Brewers Belgian Style Ale, and since they were in bottles, I didn't want to bring them. But as I sat in the cool water, I was thinking that this would be a great time to end my self imposed prohibition...
We (I?) decided against breaking out the snorkel gear. I just wanted to relax, and the water seemed a little bit cool here today. After a few minutes another Jeep parked alongside ours across the road. A guy got out of the driver's side, carrying a couple of chairs, towels, etc. As he began to set them up we greeted each other, and he asked me, "are you thirsty?"
Before I could reply, he followed up with, "would you like a beer?"
I don't THINK that I jumped up and hugged him right then and there, but I may have...
While my new best friend Hank and I drank his beer and talked, his wife, who had been talking on the phone with her daughters, got out of their jeep, and joined us on the beach. Leslie, meet Leslie. (The other) Leslie had also run in the race, and they were smart enough to pick the east end for post race relaxation (and even smart enough to bring beer!)
It turns out that Leslie and Hank had moved to St. Thomas from North Carolina six months ago, so we had plenty of things to talk about. We got on so well that after a couple of hours, when hunger made its appearance, that we all decided to try and Brave the Skinny Legs crowd together while we continued our dalliance.
Lunch over, we said goodbye to our new friends and drove back across Centerline (the way civilized people travel that road!) and headed back to the condo, where we hung out by the pool and I continued making up for lost drinking time!
Later we walked into town (ouch - sore muscles!) to attend the 8 Tuff Awards party. The late lunch at Skinny's helped me decide to forgo the long line for the roast pig that was provided, so we hung out for a while to soak up the atmosphere before heading upstairs to the Tap Room.
Conspicuously missing from the crew at Tap Room (as well as from the race) was our favorite bartender, Amanda. We asked our server if she had been "voted off of the island" and were told that since getting promoted to bar manager at Rhumblines, where she had worked part time in addition to her her gig at the Tap Room, she was no longer working at the latter. So, when we finished our drink we walked over to Rhumblines and grabbed a seat at the bar. Amanda greeted us warmly and asked "what are you drinking?" We told her "bartender's choice", so she went to work concocting some luscious libations for us. Mine was some kind of cucumber infused mojito, a combination I'd never think of, but one that was refreshing and delicious. Leslie was served some kind of guava flavored margarita - also delicious.
The walking tour of Cruz Bay soon continued with a stop at this old favorite:
Considering the fact that it was a Saturday night during high season, we expected larger crowds and longer lines everywhere. As I enjoyed a dark & stormy (or two) and Leslie a rum drink, watching from the upstairs deck at Quiet Mon, we made conversation with two other couples that were together. They had also been on island for the race, but would be leaving the next day. One of the couples called it a day, and after spending a good deal of time talking to the other couple (Lanie and Phil) somehow we all ended back at Rhumblines with dinner on our mind.
We were seated right away, and had a nice time and a nice dinner (I think). I remember Lanie giving us her Ultimate Pad Thai leftovers, since they would be leaving, I remember a girl playing guitar and singing right next to our table, but honestly, it had been a long day and I don't remember a heck of a lot more than that - though we do have a picture to prove that they weren't just imaginary friends!
One more walk up to Battery Hill, got into the condo, and laid down on the couch to just "rest a minute"....
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..................................................
Sunday, February 24 - Moving a little bit slowly this morning. While I took my sweet time getting up and going, Leslie was communing with the wildlife outside.
After breakfast we gathered up our snorkel gear and walked down to Frank Bay to get wet.
Before we even got to the water we were treated to some unusual animal sightings.
Soon we were back where we like to be most of all - in the waters surrounding St. John, enjoying the sights:
About twenty minutes into the swim I started feeling a little bit queasy, so I let Leslie know, and made my way back to the beach. I was still a little light headed as we walked back up to the condo, but a short rest and some fluids had me feeling a lot better. Perhaps, after spending the first two days of the trip in hydration mode, I had neglected that aspect post race by ingesting, almost exclusively, dehydrating fluids? At any rate, I recovered in time for us to make the walk to Mongoose Junction to catch a shuttle bus to Oppenheimer/Gibney Beach for the 8 Tuff Miles Recovery Party, that was a benefit event for the St. John Cancer Fund.
We made our way back to Cruz Bay in time for Leslie to bake some of her world famous chocolate chip cookies to take to the Beach Bar, but we had to stop at High Tide, where Leslie borrowed a pizza pan from Kelli, the owner, that she could use as a cookie sheet.
Somewhere around 5:00, we made our way down to the Beach Bar, the traditional gathering spot for any VIOL forum members who are on island, not otherwise occupied, and interested in meeting others. Unfortunately, there was some big annual domino tournament going on that took up most of the beach area behind the bar. They looked to be having a lot of fun, but we were relegated to grabbing a small spot next to a tree where we commandeered a table and a couple of chairs.
A couple walked by that had that "looking for someone" look, and soon we had been introduced to Nancy and Denny (mchigancouple), and then a little while later, after their ferry from Jost had returned, Tracy and Mary. Eventually Nancy and Denny left, and the rest of us set out looking for food. We ended up at JJ's, where we had only had breakfast before.
After we ate, an exhausted Tracy and Mary made their way back to Grande Bay, while Leslie and I continued the cookie tour with a visit to Amanda at Rhumblines.
After leaving Rhumblines we ran into Laura, Jim, and some more members of their entourage. As so often happens, they were too caught up having fun to make it to the Beach Bar, but this chance encounter ensured that Laura, who had encouraged Leslie to bring the cookie dough, didn't get shut out!
Final stop of the night was at High Tide, where the grateful staff repaid us for the cookies with a round of drinks and a special shot. The cookies duly distributed (and therefore safely out of range from me!) we had a hilarious walk up the hill to end the night, and to put the finishing touches on a great day!
Saturday, March 23 - 8 Tuff Miles!
Following a fitful night of sleep (good thing I had the nap!) I was up, even by our STJ standards, bright? and early at 5:00AM. I wanted to be able to have a pre-race meal and to top off my "cistern"!
Finally, I donned my race gear and nervously waited for the sunrise...
While I joined the growing throng of race participants making my way towards the VINP building, Leslie was joining a quite different parade - the convoy of eastbound vehicles getting on Centerline Rd. before it was closed.
The scene in Cruz Bay was surreal. I'd never seen that many people anywhere on STJ, let alone crowded in to the area that surrounds the VINP building. I ran into Laura, her husband Jim, their friends Wendi and Pat (all of who I'd met at High Tide) as well as some more members of their illustrious group. The ladies were resplendent in their "Team Mimosa" running shirts! As we all talked and joked about our expectations for the race, Pat remarked that his goal was to not to have to hear paramedics yelling "clear!" as they attempted to restart his heart. I decided that even that wouldn't be as bad as them deciding that using the paddles was a lost cause...
Seriously, just what were my expectations for this race? First and foremost, since I'd progressed from "anyone who runs in this thing is a bloody fool" to "I've got to do this so that I can say that I did", my goals were; to finish, to not injure myself too badly, and, hopefully, to enjoy the moment a time or two along the way. I had a stretch goal that I had established during my training of finishing in 90 minutes. I figured if I could get to the Bordeaux overlook in an hour I might be able to accomplish that.
Speaking of my training, I'm not someone that has always been a runner. I only started running (jogging, really) on any consistent basis in the summer. Where we live in Florida the terrain is flat, even by our state's standards. When we spoke to Peter Alter (8 Tuff founder and race director) at the Tap Room this past fall, he told me that the second water station on the course was at a higher altitude than anywhere in our home state - thanks a lot! As the race day got closer and closer, my weekly miles slowly increased, and I added running the causeway bridges across the Intracoastal Waterway to try and add an elevation component to my preparation.With a week to go, I felt fairly good about how far I had progressed, but still uneasy about how well that would tranlate to race day performance.
Back to Cruz Bay, I met up with Tracy (wearing a "Running Sucks" shirt) Les, Stepanie (who told me that the water bottle on her belt had an emergency supply of rum!), and a couple other folks at Mongoose Junction before excusing myself to join the growing mob queuing up behind the VINP building at the starting line. Standing there as a part of such a huge, diverse crowd, watching the varied ways everyone readied themselves - this was definitely one of those "soak it all in" moments!
There were some pre-race announcements and acknowledgements, a gentleman played The Star Spangled Banner on the saxophone, the US Coast Guard Helicopters executed a flyover, and here it was - we were off and running!
I took a deep breath to quell all of the emotions that the culmination of all of the planning, training, and anticipation brought to the surface before all of the jostling for position (there were nearly 1500 of us!) brought me back to reality. We went past Mongoose Junction, up the hill next to the Lumberyard, through the roundabout - where we were treated to the sounds of the Love City Pan Dragons, and on to Centerline Road!
It didn't take very long to realize that running 55 foot tall bridges in the relatively low heat and humidity of the
central Florida winter was a lot different than tackling the hills of St. John in the Caribbean humidity. I have done this route via Jeep enough times to know in which order the landmarks arrive, but was amazed at how slowly they followed one another when traversing the road on foot! Somewhere near the two mile mark I conceded the fact that I would be reduced to walking at least some of the uphill portions of the course.
The people of STJ that supported the race were awesome! All of the aid stations were well staffed with volunteers eager to provide water or Gatorade, musicians, both solo and in groups were performing alongside the road in a number of locations, but the thing that stood out the most to me were the number of spectators that gave non-stop encouragement to all of the participants.
By the time I got to the Taino drummers at Bordeaux, I was almost 10 minutes behind where I'd hoped to be at that point. A 90 minute time wasn't in the cards for me today, but I was still on my feet, and seeing Coral Bay below was a big psychological boost. Despite the early start time, the rising sun was becoming more and more of a factor, and I joined in the ad-hoc conga line that snaked from side to side across the road in an effort to run in the shade as much as possible!
Runners that had finished the race and that were now walking back in the other direction appeared. Eventually the 7 mile marker came into view, then the 8, and as the road wound down toward the Coral Bay triangle, I knew that the end was indeed in sight! People shouting encouragement lined both sides of the street. I turned left and made my way towards the entrance to the ballfield, until I finally saw this:
I'd like to tell you that, fueled by the sight of the finish line and the exhortations from the crowd, I got a burst of
adrenaline and sprinted strongly to the finish line, but I'm certain that there is photographic and video evidence to the contrary. I did manage to keep chugging along at my pace, but instead of the classic head high/arms raised in triumph pose, mine was more of a "get those paddles ready" look! I finished in a time of 97:36, a bit off of my "secret" goal, but, after a few minutes to replenish my depleted oxygen stores, the EMTs were able to stand down.
With my finisher's medal and lungs full of air:
After Leslie brought me liquid relief, and once she was fairly certain that I'd live, she went back to cheer on more of the runners. Here's the group I'd met with earlier - finishing looking much fresher than I had - I guess the beer bong station around mile 7 must have helped!
There was a big party feel to the finishing area after the race. Several people asked me if I planned to do anything different next year.
"Next year?. Yeah, I'm going to do something different next year, the same thing I've done every other year on this day - anything but drag my butt across this island. Next year. Get real - there was only one "8 Tuff" box on this bucket list. Next year. Right..."
I do have to say that you couldn't have a better cheerleader/supporter for this event than Leslie was for me. Even when her knee surgery got delayed to the point where we knew she wouldn't be able to walk the race, she continued to stay excited about my participation, throughout the training, while making our trip itinerary "race friendly", and before, during, and after the event on race day. The fact that she would have to make her first across island drive "solo" may just have turned out to be "training" for her!
There are many times when we make jokes about "traffic jams" on STJ. But we anticipated that the high number of race participants as well as their assorted supporters, coupled with the limited number of routes back to Cruz Bay, would result in actual island gridlock. While we didn't join in that caravan to see it in person, the scene by the Guy Benjamin School/Skinny Legs/Donkey Diner, has me thinking that our decision to head east to let the crowds dissipate was probably a good one. So, we headed far away from the Coral Bay congestion, to a more traditional STJ traffic jam.
If the decision to chill out at Hansen Bay after the race was a good one, I was seriously rethinking my decision to not have a beer or three in our cooler. All I had was St. John Brewers Belgian Style Ale, and since they were in bottles, I didn't want to bring them. But as I sat in the cool water, I was thinking that this would be a great time to end my self imposed prohibition...
We (I?) decided against breaking out the snorkel gear. I just wanted to relax, and the water seemed a little bit cool here today. After a few minutes another Jeep parked alongside ours across the road. A guy got out of the driver's side, carrying a couple of chairs, towels, etc. As he began to set them up we greeted each other, and he asked me, "are you thirsty?"
Before I could reply, he followed up with, "would you like a beer?"
I don't THINK that I jumped up and hugged him right then and there, but I may have...
While my new best friend Hank and I drank his beer and talked, his wife, who had been talking on the phone with her daughters, got out of their jeep, and joined us on the beach. Leslie, meet Leslie. (The other) Leslie had also run in the race, and they were smart enough to pick the east end for post race relaxation (and even smart enough to bring beer!)
It turns out that Leslie and Hank had moved to St. Thomas from North Carolina six months ago, so we had plenty of things to talk about. We got on so well that after a couple of hours, when hunger made its appearance, that we all decided to try and Brave the Skinny Legs crowd together while we continued our dalliance.
Lunch over, we said goodbye to our new friends and drove back across Centerline (the way civilized people travel that road!) and headed back to the condo, where we hung out by the pool and I continued making up for lost drinking time!
Later we walked into town (ouch - sore muscles!) to attend the 8 Tuff Awards party. The late lunch at Skinny's helped me decide to forgo the long line for the roast pig that was provided, so we hung out for a while to soak up the atmosphere before heading upstairs to the Tap Room.
Conspicuously missing from the crew at Tap Room (as well as from the race) was our favorite bartender, Amanda. We asked our server if she had been "voted off of the island" and were told that since getting promoted to bar manager at Rhumblines, where she had worked part time in addition to her her gig at the Tap Room, she was no longer working at the latter. So, when we finished our drink we walked over to Rhumblines and grabbed a seat at the bar. Amanda greeted us warmly and asked "what are you drinking?" We told her "bartender's choice", so she went to work concocting some luscious libations for us. Mine was some kind of cucumber infused mojito, a combination I'd never think of, but one that was refreshing and delicious. Leslie was served some kind of guava flavored margarita - also delicious.
The walking tour of Cruz Bay soon continued with a stop at this old favorite:
Considering the fact that it was a Saturday night during high season, we expected larger crowds and longer lines everywhere. As I enjoyed a dark & stormy (or two) and Leslie a rum drink, watching from the upstairs deck at Quiet Mon, we made conversation with two other couples that were together. They had also been on island for the race, but would be leaving the next day. One of the couples called it a day, and after spending a good deal of time talking to the other couple (Lanie and Phil) somehow we all ended back at Rhumblines with dinner on our mind.
We were seated right away, and had a nice time and a nice dinner (I think). I remember Lanie giving us her Ultimate Pad Thai leftovers, since they would be leaving, I remember a girl playing guitar and singing right next to our table, but honestly, it had been a long day and I don't remember a heck of a lot more than that - though we do have a picture to prove that they weren't just imaginary friends!
One more walk up to Battery Hill, got into the condo, and laid down on the couch to just "rest a minute"....
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..................................................
Sunday, February 24 - Moving a little bit slowly this morning. While I took my sweet time getting up and going, Leslie was communing with the wildlife outside.
After breakfast we gathered up our snorkel gear and walked down to Frank Bay to get wet.
Before we even got to the water we were treated to some unusual animal sightings.
Soon we were back where we like to be most of all - in the waters surrounding St. John, enjoying the sights:
About twenty minutes into the swim I started feeling a little bit queasy, so I let Leslie know, and made my way back to the beach. I was still a little light headed as we walked back up to the condo, but a short rest and some fluids had me feeling a lot better. Perhaps, after spending the first two days of the trip in hydration mode, I had neglected that aspect post race by ingesting, almost exclusively, dehydrating fluids? At any rate, I recovered in time for us to make the walk to Mongoose Junction to catch a shuttle bus to Oppenheimer/Gibney Beach for the 8 Tuff Miles Recovery Party, that was a benefit event for the St. John Cancer Fund.
We made our way back to Cruz Bay in time for Leslie to bake some of her world famous chocolate chip cookies to take to the Beach Bar, but we had to stop at High Tide, where Leslie borrowed a pizza pan from Kelli, the owner, that she could use as a cookie sheet.
Somewhere around 5:00, we made our way down to the Beach Bar, the traditional gathering spot for any VIOL forum members who are on island, not otherwise occupied, and interested in meeting others. Unfortunately, there was some big annual domino tournament going on that took up most of the beach area behind the bar. They looked to be having a lot of fun, but we were relegated to grabbing a small spot next to a tree where we commandeered a table and a couple of chairs.
A couple walked by that had that "looking for someone" look, and soon we had been introduced to Nancy and Denny (mchigancouple), and then a little while later, after their ferry from Jost had returned, Tracy and Mary. Eventually Nancy and Denny left, and the rest of us set out looking for food. We ended up at JJ's, where we had only had breakfast before.
After we ate, an exhausted Tracy and Mary made their way back to Grande Bay, while Leslie and I continued the cookie tour with a visit to Amanda at Rhumblines.
After leaving Rhumblines we ran into Laura, Jim, and some more members of their entourage. As so often happens, they were too caught up having fun to make it to the Beach Bar, but this chance encounter ensured that Laura, who had encouraged Leslie to bring the cookie dough, didn't get shut out!
Final stop of the night was at High Tide, where the grateful staff repaid us for the cookies with a round of drinks and a special shot. The cookies duly distributed (and therefore safely out of range from me!) we had a hilarious walk up the hill to end the night, and to put the finishing touches on a great day!
Come see us!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Great report and pics! Thanks for taking the time to write it. Congrats on finishing 8 tough!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
And yet another great report. Congrats on the race! 
Beautiful photos too, love the peacock and ziggy.
Beautiful photos too, love the peacock and ziggy.
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Wow-- you really finished that race in great time-- I am so impressed! I thought i would do it a couple of years ago-- but health problems prohibited....i hope that i can do it someday.......
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Fantastic report... written by an awesome guy.
I usually expect to see a lot of underwater photos in your trip reports and especially look forward to hearing about your underwater explorations - but I really, really love this tale.
I see some familiar faces in your 8-Tuff photos. Huge congratulations to augie and all you brave souls!
I usually expect to see a lot of underwater photos in your trip reports and especially look forward to hearing about your underwater explorations - but I really, really love this tale.
I see some familiar faces in your 8-Tuff photos. Huge congratulations to augie and all you brave souls!
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Great report! Congrats on finishing the race.
Sawed that board three times and it is still too short...
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Oh what fun! My mom wants to run the race. For many trips we arrived the day of and she still regrets missing it.
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Where did you see the peacock? Our son begs for a peacock but I fear our neighbors who not be happy.
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Very impressive! Wish I could run the 8 tuff miles 
...loved your report and your pics are *so* good. It also makes me smile to read how supportive you and your wife are of each other. Nice all the way around...Thanks for sharing
...loved your report and your pics are *so* good. It also makes me smile to read how supportive you and your wife are of each other. Nice all the way around...Thanks for sharing-
GraysonDave
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 7:41 am
- Location: Georgia
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
This Bulldawg thinks you wear some ugly shirts, but on the other hand you write some awesome trip reports. Great job on the 8 tuff miles. I walked a half marathon last year to raise money for leukemia research, I wonder if I could walk across the island.
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Tracy in WI
- Posts: 1624
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:39 am
- Location: Wisconsin
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Another great installment! It was so fun to see you before the race and then again after and hearing how great you did! The beer bong stop, photo opportunities and rum in our water bottles didn't result in as speedy a finish, but it was a blast! I encourage everyone to try 8 Tuff at least once.
We enjoyed our time with you both and those yummy cookies!
We enjoyed our time with you both and those yummy cookies!
Tracy, Seaside Properties at Grande Bay
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loverotties
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:02 pm
- Location: PA
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Great job on the 8 Tuff !! Love the trip reports & pics .
Wrinkles Only Go Where The Smiles Have Been !
Re: Feb 21-28 2013 STJ Trip Report (Pt. 2)
Great report - so much fun - on top of your personal Tuff Miles accomplishment. Ready for the next installment now!
