Three Brians and the Hallucigenic Taxi

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After slipping out of the office we had to make a hasty dash to Point Judith, RI to catch the last ferry that evening. Our goal was to meet up with Odd Job and N.O.V for the night before running the Shad Bloom 10k, an fast undulating trail race on the southern end of the picturesque Block Island. Within a few minutes after the boat slipped its mooring, it started to gracefully rise and fall in a sloppy swell. Occasional waves sent spray flying over the bow into the faces of a group of excited boy scouts who screamed with excitement. Guthrie, who unfortunately isn’t a good sailor, initially saw the funny side of these antics but after about 20 minutes a more determined expression appeared across her face. A determination not to be the first passenger who deposited their stomach over the leeward rail! Thankfully she held things together but I think she was relieved to see familiar faces waiting at the dockside when we arrived. [singlepic=3909,280,200,,right]

After disembarking amongst a variety of dogs, chickens and fellow passengers, we quickly found our friends waiting. Odd Job, Brian (not the one you’re thinking of) and N.O.V – confused? Have patience, it will get more complicated later. Brian (still not the one you’re thinking of) was our host for the night at the summer house he owns with his wife Cookie (Ha, not the one you’re thinking of either!). Cookie, who either had a genuine excuse or was wise to a house full of trail runners, had departed the island for the weekend, so Brian (still not the one you’re thinking of) generously agreed to house and transport us about. This is where the taxi comes into this story. His usual car is a VW beetle, not the largest of automobiles, so he had borrowed a friends station wagon that had been a former taxi but was now looking as if its best days were behind it. It had three rows of seats, but the middle set were folded down and didn’t seem to work, so after exchanging greetings Guthrie and I were bundled into the trunk while Odd Job, Brian and N.O.V (the Brian you are familiar with) headed off to eat.

Meal over we clambered back into our taxi and headed off across the island, the ride at a steady 25 mph (the local limit) was relaxing. From the cavernous interior of the wagon Guth and I could see little of the landscape outside and for that matter we couldn’t be completely sure anyone was up front either! The house though was delightful and we were soon settled on the couch to watch a movie. The selection was Death at a Funeral. The plot was a comedy based around a funeral that contained innocent mourners high on hallucinogenic drugs and revelations about the deceased that his immediate family hadn’t known about. Our conversation the following day made several references to the entertaining story.

As the dawn broke on Saturday morning, the sound of heavy rain greeted us. Thank goodness the race wasn’t starting until 1 pm and we didn’t have to rise early to travel – we slumbered on knowing that about the same time Iggy, Allstate, Downhill and Ultra were starting their journey to meet us. Their ferry crossing was also ‘bumpy’ but thankfully none of them suffered from the nauseating motion. On arrival Brian (Which one? I hear you ask. Well I ain’t going to tell you, cause I was just as confused so why should you have it easy) called and was told to look out for Odd Job and the taxi. This confused him as Allstate and Iggy had bikes, why did we need a taxi? The answer was simple, Odd Job was also buying bagels for breakfast. So, Iggy and Allstate were pointed in the direction of the house, while Brian….. – Oh sod it! – correction, Odd Job and the others went to the grocery store. When they arrived back at the house, they were just in time to see Allstate and Iggy cycle past the driveway despite the presence of the large flag pole they were told to look out for. Honestly, some people can’t follow the simplest of trail markers!

[singlepic=3893,280,200,,left] Finally, we are gathered around the breakfast table. Brian (you have to guess which one) looked bewildered as he toasted bagels, boiled water and warily watched us out of the corner of his eye. Poor guy must have wondered what he had let himself in for! Meanwhile we had resolved the problem of the unfolding middle car seat, so once fed, changed and lubed in places we all know about but don’t discuss in polite company, we piled in the taxi. Wait a moment, we didn’t actually pile in, first we had to drive the taxi out of the drive way as with nine passengers it would have grounded, and then we piled in.

I suspect by now, you had forgotten this story is about a running race. The Shad Bloom, so named after the Shad tree which blooms at this time of year, is a hybrid trail race over pathways that, on a clear day offer spectacular views across the ocean. Sadly today low cloud (but by now no rain) limited those views. It starts from the school at Shoreham, follows a dirt road before linking with grass paths. At mile 4 there is a section known as the Wall that climbs in two sections before another short road section. Then it is back onto grass paths, a hop over a wooden stile and a sprint back down the dirt roads to the finish.

The race started on time at one pm, however 30 minutes later it had to start again. It seems that a local paper had published the start as being 1:30 pm instead of 1 pm and three runners arrived late, so the organizers had to allow them to head out 30 minutes after the main field! This played havoc with the final results.

The course is fun to run, but it does tend to be a quick pace as I suspect you can imagine. The off road sections are not too technical and the overall distance did seem to be close to the advertised 10k – how unimaginative is that! After I crossed the line, relieved that I had managed not to get lost and finish ahead of Guth, I collected my camera from Brain. What! Had Ultra or N.O.V beaten me? No, Brian our hallucinogenic taxi driver; who incidentally has completed the Block Island Triathlon with Cookie (whose bicycle has a wicker basket on the front) but today elected to spectate. I managed to snap Guth sprinting home to finish second woman and first in her age group. We both jogged back up the road the cheer in the others and photograph their effort. One by one they sped past until Guthrie ran in with Allstate and left me waiting for Odd Job to appear.

[singlepic=3906,280,200,,left] Into sight she came close behind three other runners and I fell into step with her. “OK, Odd Job, you can catch the guy in the gray shirt.”, I whispered. “You can do it.” I could sense Odd Job pick things up. “Keep it going, you’re gaining.” Gradually she closed the gap. “Forget the gray shirt, check out the girl in blue, you can catch her.” An expression appeared on Odd Job face that at any other time might have made me nervous, but she continued to close the gap and finally pass both runners. The finish came into view and the pace quickened. A few yards out I pulled to the side and yelled at her to keep going, the other girl was making a come back. They were both running hard over the final yards and Odd Job got pipped right on the line. What a finish!

We hung around until the awards were given out, the interim results were posted, then a second set which were supposed to reflect the late starts appeared. Strangely they placed everyone three places higher than the initial ones. Then a third set appeared on the web, these placed everyone one place lower than initially indicated and added to this the times didn’t seem right. All this from a professional timing outfit! Sadly these problems happen all too often, I know from experience collating and publishing results isn’t always easy but timing services don’t come cheap and for a race of only 172 finishers, you’d think it could be better.

That said, the fun of the weekend wasn’t diminished. We all jumped back into our palatial transportation, returned to the house to freshen up before grabbing some lunch en route to catch the ferry home. Odd Job, was staying on the island for another night with Brian (before you speculate the appropriateness of this fact, be assured that N.O.V also remained with her), while the rest of us bid our thanks and farewells before departing. The ride back to Point Judith was thankfully smooth.

Thanks to Brian, Brian, Brian and everyone else, imaginary or otherwise for another memorable weekend.

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