Be a part of the Across the Years race!

Tim and I are heading to Phoenix tomorrow for the Across the Years 48-hour race again this year. He was planning to run as well, but unfortunately cannot because he has a hip stress fracture, so he'll be there to help with crewing.

The race has a fabulous web interface with REAL TIME UPDATES and an improved WEB CAM this year, so you can check in on the race and see how the runners are doing (and looking!) at any time during the duration of the race.

Check WHO'S RUNNING?

There is a 24-hour, a 48-hour, and a 72-hour race. I'm giving the 48 another shot after logging 150 miles last year. There will be great competition and lots of fun on the course this year. There are scattered starts for the different timed events. I'm starting at 9 am on Tuesday, December 30th, and will be running through till Thursday, January 1st at 9 am (which when all the timed events end).

Once again, there is an incredible almost real-time message center where you can send "greetings" to any runner on the course at any time via the race web site at www.acrosstheyears.com. It is simple to do. Just click "SEND A GREETING," click on the runner you want to send a message to, and hit send. When a few messages have accumulated, they are printed out by race staff and placed in our personal "mailboxes" which are right along the course. So, yes, I'll get them!

The race is on a 500 meter track. I know it's hard to imagine, but it does get boring (one of the toughest challenges of this type of venue). You pass the "start/finish" (and your warm car) every few minutes....leading one into temptation...

All runners LOVE getting email messages! I certainly thrive on them. Please check in online and take a look around this outstanding event and hang around a bit. Imagine you are a visitor at the the zoo or circus. :) Send mail. Tell me truths, tell me lies, jokes. Tell me I'm too friggin' slow to be called a "runner." Tell me about your day sledding in the snow or working at the office. Check in in the morning or in the evening or in the middle of the night during a cupboard raid. Tell me my hair looks good after 40 hours of running, sleeping a bit (hopefully), and numerous hat changes. And please tell me if when I smile into the web cam you see food in my teeth. I just hate when that happens! Tell me to get my butt moving and that you are waiting and watching for me to live up to all my braggart tales of ultramarathon running. Or just say "Keep moving!" because that's really the ultimate strategy to this kind of race. Whatever you want. It's all very very appreciated. You truly can make a real impact on a runner's race by sending vibes or by superpoking them. :)

There will be thousands of emails coming in for all the runners. It's not private - though mine up in my mailbox for me. But everyone online can read everyone else's greetings, so keep that in mind.

So, starting 9 am Tues. the 30th, my race starts. (The 72-hour runners will have already put in a day by then so they're likely going to be moving a little slower, and some 24-hour runners will also be starting at the same time, and some of them will be flying around the course just for the day.)

Top women in the 48-hour are Tracy Thomas (who holds many records here including over 250 miles in the 72-hour race). You will see that her public goal is 205 miles, the highest goal of anybody. Debbie Reichmeier wins a lot of the 48-hour races here. She won last year with 168 miles (I believe). Alene Nitzky is in top form this year and so are others.

Top men to watch are Hans Bauer who won lst year with 190 miles and Jeff Hagen, the highly experienced "turtle" of the competitors who is shooting for just over 200 miles. There are others with admirable goals too, but when it comes down to 2 full days of running, why, anything can happen out there. So, often the race results yield some nice surprises.

Just go here: http://www.acrosstheyears.com/
Click on "SEND A GREETING" (or whatever it will ultimately be constructed to say)
Find me by name or number #634
I am already looking forward to hearing from you!

All that said, I wish every one of you a very Happy New Year filled with joyous celebration or dreamy relaxation...whatever your pleasure.

Thank you thank you for spending some time with me this week at the race...even if just a minute or two. You can help me way more that you would ever imagine. :)

All the best to you and your loved ones,
Stay safe,
Be happy and be good to each other.