The 10-year Boston Marathon anniversary was marked by this trip to Central Oregon where the Empire Runners 60-64 contingent stood out in the half-marathon and 10K events in Bend on Sunday. Mild-mannered Bob “The Ginger” Rogers was anything but, turning in a 1:38 half to edge out teammate Frank “The Quiet Storm” Cuneo, aka “Boxcar” Frank, by about a minute to take the division crown. A full 10 minutes would pass before a seriously undertrained Larry “Lazy Legs” Meredith came through in 4th place, narrowly eclipsing his 1:50 pre-race prediction and just seconds ahead of “Demon” Dale Peterson, who waged a courageous and successful battle with a Buffalo Chip over the final mile.

In the 10,000-meter event Paul “Ice” Berg, coming off a victory in the IPA 10K, was running hot in the cool morning air of Bend, breaking 46 minutes to nail down the silver medal in the age group. “Breaking” Brad Zanetti, despite being held up for 30 seconds or more at an inexplicable traffic stop, came home in the bronze position.

“Rowdy” Robin Stovall was set to represent our feminine side in the 5K but a last-minute misfortune kept her from making the start.

Off the course the Thirsty Boys were just as dominant, collecting 11 brewery stamps on our way to a major award presented to us by the local visitors center. Other off-course highlights included hikes along the waterfall-rich Paulina Creek and through the spectacularly craggy Smith Rock State Park. In summary, another memory-filled adventure for this group of running buddies.

Recap by Coach Larry Meredith, mostly true, although some details had to remain in Oregon.