Bolder Boulder, 2008.

Well folks. It's official. I finally ran a race. After eight years of Hailey practically begging me to run a race, I finally caved. And now that it's over I wouldn't necessarily say I'm ready to sign up for the next one but I will admit it was fun. And I'm actually really proud of myself for crossing the finish line without having to walk. For me, that's quite the accomplishment.

Last night I received my registration package. Hailey signed me up for the race a few weeks ago. Now those of you who know my better half know she's not exactly one for details. And, well, let's just say she certainly missed a pretty important detail when she registered me for this race. Can you spot it?



ME: Hailey, it says here that I'm registered as a lady.

HAILEY: What, let me see?

ME: Right here. You registered me in the female division.

HAILEY: (uncontrollable laughter)

ME: It's not funny.

HAILEY: Hey, well at least you'll probably rank higher.

ME: Gee. Awesome.

I saw Hailey off early this morning. Her start time was two hours before mine. I stayed back and waited for the babysitter. As I was about to leave I got a txt from Hailey telling me to not park in Niwot as I was planning because there was a huge line waiting for the bus. She told me the best place to park was at the Twin Peaks Mall because nobody was there.

Perfect.

I arrived at the Twin Peaks Mall to see what was quite possibly the longest line I had ever laid eyes on. And yes, I've been to Disney Land, Disney World, Epcot Center and a bunch of other places known for their line length. This was the king of long lines. Great, thanks for the tip, Hailey. Luckily, the buses arrived in droves and I eventually found myself sitting on a bus next to some middle-aged mother. Little did she know I was in her division and had plans to totally waste her.

As we passed Niwot I couldn't help but notice a small line of about twelve people.

Finally, we arrived. Thousands upon thousands of runners painted the landscape. I quickly blended in as I made my way to the starting line. The smell of porta potties filled the air. Dark clouds threatened precipitation. No matter. I had a vanilla cream energy bar and a few pieces of Thirst Buster gum (that I bought the night before) in my pocket. I was ready for whatever.

Bring it on.

I found my group and lined up behind the yellow rope. Slowly, we advanced to the official starting line. Eventually, I found myself at the front of the pack, bracing for the starting gun.

BANG!

How exciting! I sprinted off the starting line, running as fast as I could. I quickly caught up to the wave that left before us. Now, understand Hailey signed me up in the "Walk and Jog" division. So the entire road was basically blocked with old grandmothers and little kids.

I bobbed and weaved like a champ. Like a robber eluding police in a high speed freeway pursuit. Before I knew it I was passing the first mile marker.

Along the side of the road was a very long table with volunteers holding out cups of water and Gatorade. Screw that! I had Thirst Buster gum. While others stopped to refuel, I shunned the thought and continued down the road.

It was somewhere between mile one and mile two where my body realized I still had a long ways to go and probably couldn't keep sprinting. Hailey's voice echoed in my mind. "Pace yourself, Peach."

I slowed 'er down. Brought 'er down to fourth gear. Cruise control.

And I ran.

I ran past several drunken bachelors standing shirtless on their front lawn. I ran past a group of cheerleaders who were cheering the runners on. I ran past a slip-n-slide that had been set up for the runners to use. I ran past some dudes handing out beers to all the runners. I ran past a hefty fellow handing out Krispy Kremes. I ran past some dude puking. I ran past a cover band playing Eye of the Tiger. I totally pumped my fist.

I ran down hills and up hills.

I ran and I ran and I ran.

Until, finally I reached the last stretch. I entered the Colorado University Stadium to the tune of thousands. I could see the finish line. Suddenly, the theme song from Karate Kid entered my brain.

"You're the best around. No one's ever gonna bring you down. You're the best around"

I kicked it back into sprint mode, again, bobbing and weaving.

BEEP

And with that little electronic sound recognizing the little chip I had tied to my shoe and recording my race completion, it was over. I had made it. I threw it down to a brisk speed walk. "Walk it off, Babcock, walk it off." I heard someone yelling at me. "Peach!" I looked up and there was Hailey standing in the stands waiting for me. She had a smile from ear to ear. She had waited over eight years to see this.

She couldn't have been happier.



We boarded a bus back to the Twin Peaks Mall. Along the way, we both received txt messages with our race times. Of course, Hailey beat me by a whole ten minutes. I finished in 61:01. It was certainly good enough for me.



Later this evening we checked the official race results online. Turns out just over 500 women beat me. And over all, I came in at a whopping 16,978th place.

See you next year, ladies!