Marshall University Marathon – Loopfest Top 10

By now most of what can be said about Marshall has been said. Between countless blogs and Facebook postings, what else can I add to the story? The answer is: NOT MUCH…but I figure I need to post something to remember what really was an epic weekend…so I give you –

My top moments of Loopfest WV 2012.

10. Meeting the MOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE! Don’t misread this, it was awesome meeting everyone, but when I first got on the Loop there were two people I adored but NEVER thought I’d meet – Moose and Pochero. It was an honor, Davide. Thanks for being awesome. Now I just gotta figure out how to get to South Freakin Korea….

Italian man with beer, every woman’s dream!

9. Seeing Loopsters meet for the first time and witnessing the magic

Cupacke contest!! nom, nom, nom

8. Losing the beer chug to Sas due to Arctic Bran-freeze . In my defense, my beer was fresh and therefore a lot colder than his (not to mention I have a bigger brain).

You try chugging one of these in 96 seconds!

Thanks for driving my car back, JB!

7. Meeting Loopsters for the second time is better than the first. 

I last saw the Matz’s over a year ago when I was in SF….and they are just as adorable, nice, and BA as I remembered!

TO hadn’t changed in a month…. literally, I think he was wearing that shirt when I last saw him at TCM

6. Getting lost with Laura during the shakeout run and popping out in someone’s back yard and they just happened to be on the back deck to give us directions.

I actually didn’t decide until this moment that I was running Marshall

5. Running with Loopsters for so much of the the first half of the marathon – Maranda, Ashley, Jamie, Susan, John, and most importantly, Stacy! We also got to run with Alice for a little bit, and I tried to keep up with Jill bust she was too fast for us!

It’s never too early to Bangle Pump

I’m not going to post a Race Report. This race was more about Stacy than me, but I will share something most people didn’t know…I almost cut out at the half. I wasn’t feeling great and I figured no one would blame me if I did, given that I ran 2 marathons the previous weekend. Stacy was still looking and feeling good and told me she’d be ok if I quit. I weighed pros and cons until I passed the split…and sadly, the promise of 5 Maniac stars (3 Marathons in 3 States in 8 days) was what made me continue. That and I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed to wear the jacket if I didn’t do the full. Such selfish reasons!! In the end I’m so glad I did…and not for any of the reasons I listed. Not only would I have missed out on being a part of Stacy’s HUGE PR….I would have missed #4.

4. Megatron and Maranda pickin up me and Stacy at mile 23.5. 

Seeing those amazing chicks made me tear up. Seriously, Maranda, injured and putting in mileage like a champ…Mildsauce, exhausted from having to put up with Bangle for 13.1 miles…came out for another 4 miles on the course. It was like an 80s movie…when the bus moves and there’s Jake Ryan to save the day. You two ladies are my Jake Ryan!! And we kept picking up more people along the way.

If anyone is scared they’re going to finish last at a Loopfest, this pic pretty much sums it up. 

Its Amazing….Best. Finish. Ever

3.  Celebrating post race with some amazing people. Finding out about PRs and first Pikermi’s and Marathons – just awesome! Thanks Sas for the red cups!

Butt kicking club. 

2.1. The After Party – Grazianos

Facetime with Holly and MK

This should be a Loopfest requirement. 

Welcoming the newest Maniac

Congrats to THE Col Cupcake!

Seeing TO out gunned…

Peg doesn’t need assistance with hers...

2.2 After Party Sfs Estate

Even Sas’s fridge is ready to party!

Best Host Ever

Friends in Low Places

Friends in Lower Places

X*

*pic of TO and Dean 

Friends in Even Lower Places!!

1. Hanging out at the Sas House in general.

Pretty much my favorite part of the whole weekend doesn’t have much photo documentation. I cant say enough about how much I loved being a guest at the sfs house. From awesome conversation (non-running conversation too!) to coming back to post race pepperoni rolls; the sfs family is just amazing. My favorite moment of the weekend was Saturday night..MildSauce and I played Candyland and Crab soccer with the sfs boys while Kynan tuned the little sfs’s guitar and we all talked until bed time. As much as everyone knows me as a party girl, that is one Saturday night that will make me smile for a long, long time.

Words cant even describe how awesome and loving that family is. Many, many thanks for Mrs Sfs and the boys for welcoming me and the crazy Loopsters into your home, and for Sas for assembling what I think was the most epic house of Loopmates in WV. And thanks to the sfs boys for letting the sauce and I play some trampoline games, you guys are pretty darn cool.

This is more exhausting than a marathon!

Pretty much the perfect weekend. Thank you every single person who was a part of it. You guys are amazing.