The Dirty Kiln Trail Run

John loves everybody, and I mean everybody, but he has a special place in his heart for Anna for one reason:  she runs.

If you know John, you know he runs.  Instead of taking a break at lunch each day, he goes running.  He runs in the rain, in the snow, in the wind, in the heat.  He usually runs 7-10 miles a day.

Last year, Anna started running.  She trained for the Philadelphia Half Marathon and ran it in November.  You better believe when she visited last November, John roped her into going running with him.

And you know what?  She kept up with him!  In fact, he loved every minute of it.

So, when he found out on Tuesday that she was coming for a visit, he called me back and asked if she would like to run "The Dirty Kiln Trail Run" with him.  I asked her, and she said the five-mile run wouldn't be a problem, and yes! sign her up.

So, funniest John-story in a while.  He registered her online, and he couldn't remember her last name.  Seriously, we had to laugh that he had this lapse of memory, because we ALL know her last name.  Hoopes.  Anna Hoopes.

He decided to make up a last name for her.  Ken.  Not Kennedy.  Just Ken.

Too, he took the easiest first name to spell and changed the spelling.  Ana.  Not Anna.  Ana.

Now, if you are any kind of Star Wars fan, you will put the two names together and get a good laugh!  We laughed and laughed and laughed about it.

We showed up at 8 a.m. at Canoe Creek State Park.  In true John style, he didn't tell any of us what the race was actually going to be.  Just like when you go running with him, and he says you're going to run three miles, but he keeps the GPS to himself, and in the end, he wants to run "just a little bit further" and by the time you finish, your legs are on fire (if you can feel them at all) and you discover that you have run six.

Turns out, this was indeed a "trail" race, but there wasn't much of a trail at all.  I envisioned Anna running along some pine-chipped path through the valleys along a nice babbling brook.  Nope.  Nothing like that.  The trail was pure mud which ran up and down mountains and was so treacherous, the race people stood guard where there was a possibility of a runner falling off the trail into the deep water of a massive lake.  Here's Anna's face when she realized what she was in for:

The race began in a wide open field, and the runners were told to follow colored flags along the path.  These weren't big, easy-to-spot flags.  No.  They were the kind of flags that mark a water line, or an electric fence, or a cable line.  Tiny flags on metal sticks.

The girls and I waited in the sunshine for 45 minutes.  That is the time that Anna usually finishes five miles.  At the 55 minute mark, John ran by (on his way to the 12-mile extension).  I jokingly asked him/yelled at him if he had left Anna.  In all seriousness, he looked at me, drenched in sweat and yelled back, "This is HORRIBLE!"  Oh my gosh, I got so worried.  Johannah even pointed out that the ambulance was GONE!  I envisioned Anna, dead on the trail somewhere, her viola career cut short.  As we anxiously scanned the incoming runners, I noticed that most of them had mud up to their knees, and some had water-soaked clothes up to their waist!  Oh man, what had John gotten her into?!

Finally, at the one hour mark, we saw her.  She looked exhausted, although when she saw us, in true Anna fashion, she started smiling!  I read on her blog last night that it was the hardest five miles she's ever run.  Her feet (and shoes) were completely soaked through.  She feared for her life at times.  Enough said.

WINNER!!

She chowed down on the post-race food (reminder to my family:  GOBS stands for ....  Garbage Out Bootie Swiftly--don't eat them ever again), and we waited for John to finish the 12 mile run.  Our friend, Joe Murgo, began announcing the winners.

When he announced "females", I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, I wonder if Anna placed...".  Sure enough, 16-21 year-old females, third place...  Ana Ken!  I'm laughing just writing this :-)

Anna got this huge, surprised look on her face, popped up and ran up to the awards tent.  We were so proud of her!  Of course, it would have been nice if her actual name had been called, and if it had been said that she was from New York City (instead of Port Matilda), but you know... (we love you, Daddy!)

John finished the race, and placed fifth in his age group.  He was a bit frustrated with that, always being just below an award.  However, seeing how wet and dirty the two of them were, I was glad to get home and let them shower.  Deservedly, they took a three-hour nap, and the rest of us did too :-)