HTC: Engine, Engine Number 9

I may have briefly mentioned before that I get to run with the Afternuun Delight Team for the Hood to Coast Relay this year.

There will be three teams: Team Morning, Team Noon, and Team Night. I get to to be on Team Noon! Noon for Nuun! Yeah, that won’t be confusing to people at all.

As with all long distance relays, a full team = 12 crazies and so I’d like to introduce you to my 11 soon-to-be new best crazies in batting order:

1. Kelly – According to Kelly: Legs 1, 13, 25
2. Laura – Nuun Employee: Legs 2, 14, 26
3. Laura– Camping Out In America: Legs 3, 15, 27
4. Jocelyn – Enthusiastic Runner: Legs 4, 16, 28
5. Sarah – Once Upon a (L)ime: Legs 5, 17, 29
6. Molly – Mollyberries’ Hodge Podge: Legs 6, 18, 30
7. Tonia – Racing With Babes: Legs 7, 19, 31
8. Kim – Nuun Employee: Legs 8, 20, 32
9. Tiffany – Heavy Medal: Legs 9, 21, 33
10. Zoe – Nuun Employee: Legs 10, 22, 34
11. Jessica – Pace of Me: Legs 11, 23, 35
12. Lindsay – Lindsay On The Go: Legs 12, 24, 36

YEAH! Can I get a ‘whoo whoo’? Engine, engine number 9, running toward the finish line, if I run and fall down flat, pick me up, pick me up, pick me up! Who runs in the night? Who runs in the night? Who runs the night? Oh! Oh!

Or…or…

I can’t tell ya if it’s day or night. I scream and yell at anything in sight. And when I hear my team cheer for me as I run by, I love it when they say, “Go, Love Potion #9!”

I am totally pumped. Can you tell? Okay, no more songs. Down to da real biness. That’s right.

Runner position 9 puts me in Van 2, aka the bringin-er-home van, droppin the deuce, the final 6, the finish line fiends.

Okay, so what does being Engine Number 9 really mean, here? Well, according to this gem of a chart, it means I better get my speed on.

While I don’t have elevation to worry about and I get the benefit of running off road and slightly downhill for the majority of my first two legs, I am going to have to make sure I can pull push my weight for these longer distances. Totals miles = 19.6! Whew. I figure running the SoCal Wine Women’s Half Marathon this Saturday and then going for another run later in the day, and then again on Sunday, should be a fun indicator of how much work I need to do.

Runner/Relay nerds can click here to see what I’m in for when it comes to my first leg, second leg, and third leg, and then mock me accordingly for this being my first choice of positions to run. Sorry, ladies, if you picked 9 and didn’t get it and you’re faster than me. I know the ladies running 9 for Team Morning and Team Night look uber fast. But I’m flanked by Nuun employees so it’s all good. Hmm. I wonder if that was on purpose….

Anyway, here are some interesting Hood to Coast facts that you may or may not know:

1. Largest relay in the world. Duh.
2. It’s 199 miles long.
3. It starts at Timberline Lodge, elevation of 5,960 ft.
4. 1,050 teams participate!
5. 3,600+ volunteers make this possible
6. 14 years of filling up on the first day of registration
7. A documentary was made about it
8. Men’s Elite course record is 15:44:55 (1995)
9. Women’s Open course record is 18:49:54 (1996)
10. First relay was held in 1982 with 8 teams
11. Finish line was moved from Pacific City to Seaside in 1989
12. In 1984 an MTV Rollerblade team was allowed to participate
13. In 2000 a couple got married at the start line
14. Alberto Salazar formed the team that set the Men’s Elite record
15. The 1st solo H2C was Cindie McKenna in 1995 (Damn!)