2010 Katie Ride ReRuns - by Bill PenningtonFrom the people I’ve talked with, it’s unanimous. Please make the 2010 Katie Ride, "Groundhog Day."
With full respect to Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil, we want to relive it over and over again. The weather, the activity, the organization, the community unity were flawless.
No need for a do-over to get those things right. Just do a rerun. One Flux Capacitor from the Doc Brown closet, please.
All we’re asking for is our April 17 wake-up call, and the next few hours of our lives one more time. Well, actually make it five or six more while you’re at it. Yeah, we may as well be greedy if we’re begging.
Come on, Doc Brown, gas up the DeLorean… work your groundhog magic, Phil. Heck, just give us a wiggle of your nose, Samantha!
Isn’t somebody on board? A band of us AIR members want to go on a "Back to the Future" ride.
I’ve run in more than 150 races, done the Gate River Run a dozen times, competed in a few triathlons, and even run over the Golden Gate Bridge. I can honestly say that my maiden voyage in the Katie Ride was one of my top five athletic experiences. The excitement that morning rivaled the Gate River Run, which I’ve always felt was the area’s Super Bowl of amateur athletics. Well, if the Gate is the Super Bowl, then the Katie Ride is the Masters… top-notch all the way.
My lasting memories include:
+ Traffic control. Around Mile 7, I was probably 200 yards from a main intersection with no other riders ahead of or behind me. The police had stopped traffic for the bikers, who were two football lengths ahead. I was certain that they would let the cars go before I got there, and maybe even have me stop for a few minutes. Remember, the Katie Ride is not a race, but an event. So, I figured they’d stop me. But, no, Fernandina’s Finest held the traffic as if I was Lance Armstrong entering Paris. I jetted (well, actually more like moseyed) through the intersection on my Raleigh Mountain Bike and continued my unimpeded ride. The same scenario repeated itself throughout the morning.
+ The start. I am a sucker for the start of big events. And, with hundreds of riders filling up the Atlantic Rec Center parking lot, it was a big event. The start/finish banner stretched wide and high, the Rocky theme blared through the loudspeakers, then the countdown, and we started on our way through Fort Clinch. The magnitude of the moment brought tears to my eyes. I was glad that I was hiding the emotion behind my sunglasses. Being rev
ved up and ready, my biggest problem was that I had to keep repeating in my head, ‘It’s a ride, not a race.’ And, those guys and gals in their Mayo Clinic Bike Team outfits just ahead made it even more difficult to stay back.
+ Our Amelia Island Home. What a magical place to live, I thought throughout the journey. We start with the tree-canopied magnificence of Fort Clinch, wind through the colorful beauty of Amelia Island Plantation, bike across the natural setting of Nassau Sound, make our way through historic American Beach, and finish at the focal point of so many island activities, the Atlantic Recreation Center. As Dorothy put it, we are not in Kansas anymore.
+ AIR’s Jill Staples and Bill Barnes. To see a couple of fellow AIR runners who were also doing the 60K ride eased my early morning jitters. Jill’s always done the Katie, so she answered my questions and kept me calm. Bill was attempting his first Katie as well, so we talked of expectations, strategies, and of Bill’s “ancient” bicycle. “I think I’ll donate it to the Smithsonian after the race,” Bill mused.
It was great laughs pre-race (huh, pre-event – there I go again) that continued at the post-event lunch.
Actually, it was easy-going Jill who helped me pick up my pace around the 9th mile as she whizzed by me like Secretariat overtaking Eeyore. Jill looked back, smiled, delivered a friendly come-hither wave, and said, “Come on and stay with me.”
Yeah, right, and I’ll draft off Ryan Hall in next year’s Boston Marathon, I thought.
But, at the 60K turnaround, as 20-mph Nassau Sound Bridge tailwinds pushed me to uncharted speeds, I thought of Jill, who had taken a break at the halfway mark. I didn’t want her passing me again, and was determined to take advantage of the second-half head start. Seriously, as I made my way back across the bridge, I was in race mode. I was determined to finish the Katie in under 2 ½ hours. Yeah, I know, it’s not a race, but I wore my sports watch and started calculating. But, I was enjoying myself, immensely. I like getting competitive.
And besides, you give me a big, colorful starting banner, announcements, water stops, people in athletic gear, and some heavy breathing, I can’t make it a pedal and giggle moment. Thanks again, Jill, for inspiring me to a 2:28. Of course, at post-event, Jill had no idea I had used her as fuel for my competitive drive, which was fortunate, because I imagine I’d have been looking at her backside again somewhere in the second half if she had known.
Again, what a charming beginning to a weekend it was. Fortunately, even without any witchcraft, the day will come again in 2011. But, if a shaman can make it happen sooner, I’m game. And, I know of at least six or seven others who are on board too.
