Race to Robie Creek - RunHalf Marathon

Wanting to savor the race, it only happens once a year!


This Race to Robie Creek was another fantastic event with my family. I'll start with the two big highlights and then the "rest of the story". The first and biggest highlight is : My dad got 1st in his age group (70-74). We all were all so excited you would have thought there was a million dollar prize purse! For the last several years, he kept saying "All I've got to do is outlive the competition". This year he got to say "I've outlived the competition". If you saw him walking, you would never guess that he was a runner. He has a bum knee that barely bends. He walks with a distinct limp and a shuffle. But every year he vows to return to Robie. After this race his knee was easily three times it's normal size, it was "a little swollen" as he cheerfully put it.
Boise Hashhouse Harriers (drinkers with a running problem) have an aid station just before the summit. It is stocked with beer, scotch whiskey, tequila, HoHos, and cigars. Not a drop of water, bananas, or orange slice in sight. In keeping with race's theme this year, the "temptation station" was "MacToad's Pub". This of course, is the second highlight of my race. I had a beer and shared a double shot of whiskey with a woman I met along the way. The temptation station is why I will always come back to Robie! This may have been my biggest challenge of the day - the beer was Pabst Blue Ribbon and the whiskey was definitely not top shelf!
Now for the rest of the story....the weather forecast was for snow, rain, wind, and bitter cold. We were blessed with a sunny day. The temps were cool, but not bad at all for the grueling uphill run. The wind was only a "wee headwind" on the way down the hill. The snow was only on the roadside, and on the hills, making for a beautiful scene. There was a bit of ice and snow patches in the shady parts of the backside of the summit, making the first part of the downhill slightly tricky--no autopilot allowed.
The race always starts at high noon. We were sent off with a "Let us do or die!" cheer and Scottish bagpipes played by men in kilts.
I stopped for photos and hugs with my Mom, son David, my sis Bethany and her boyfriend. A friend of ours went racing by. My mom gave me a push and told me "Go! catch up and run with Nancy". I'm an obedient daughter, so did as I was told until I was out of sight. Then I slowed down to a comfy jog. I wanted to really savor these three blocks of flat ground. It's the last I will see of "flatness" for 13 miles!
At around mile 12, my brother who had already finished came back and ran a mile with me. Then he continued back tracking so he could run with Dad.
This is not a race that I think I will ever run for time. I enjoy taking pictures, chatting with the different organizations that staff the water stations, and meeting fellow Robie Racers. However, I know that I will always want to run it fast enough to get to the finish party while there is still microbrew on tap.
The finish party is amazing. The beer flows freely, you will get beer if you come in later in the race, but they may only have Bud or Rolling Rock. This year the microbrew was Widmer's Drop Top Amber Ale. It quenches the thirst and washes down the dust of the trail quite well.
I had just removed my shoes to dip my feet into the Creek and enjoy my beer when I saw Dad and Mike heading for the finish line. My Dad was smiling! It was awesome. I had to scramble to get down to the finish area to congratulate Dad on another amazing Robie Race!
I had a brew ready for my brother. Dad's a teetotaler so we equipped him with a red Gatorade and water, then headed for the chow line. The food is wonderful- baked potato with all kinds of trimmings available, chili, the yummiest brownies, and sugar cookies.
Well there is so much more I could say, but every story and race report needs an end.
I have already begun the countdown to Robie Creek 2009!