Shout Out to Bloomsday

I just gotta give a shout-out to Bloomsday. In a day and age where big races, such as the New York Marathon, are charging hundreds of dollars to allow you to soil their roads with your running shoes (the New York Marathon charges $255, to be exact), Bloomsday invites over 50,000 runners...and charges them seventeen bucks. Yes, $17. Unbelievable.

So support your local, Northwest races, and sign up for Bloomsday.

And tell New York to stick it.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 19th TO MARCH 25th

March 22nd / Bring in Spring 5k / Eugene, OR (Thursday Night Run!)

March 24th / Spring Sprint Duathlon / Lewiston, ID

March 24th / Shufflin' for Shawna 10k / Corvallis, OR

March 24th / Cougar Fun Run 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

March 24th / Walk for Water Fun Run 5k / Portland, OR

March 24th / Buck Mountain Mudslinger Trail Run 6.5m / Silverton, OR

March 24th / XTERRA Fort Steilacoom Trail Run 10m and 5m / Lakewood, WA

March 24th / Leif to Leif Run 5k / Seattle, WA

March 24th / Magnuson Series - Spring Into Action 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

March 25th / Run Ladies Run Half Marathon and 10k / Roche Harbor, WA

March 25th / McKenzie River Half Marathon / Eugene, OR

March 25th / Gorge Waterfalls 50k / Cascade Locks, OR

March 25th / Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Mercer Island, WA

March 25th / Big Climb 69 flights / Seattle, WA

171

Dathan Retzenhein at the New York City Marathon

Very good article in the NY Times about Dathan Ritzenhein and his upcoming race in the New York City Marathon.

And although there was a lot of good information in the article, this one quote, from Dathan's coach Alberto Salazar, really intrigued me:

“Ethiopians and Kenyans are running 160 miles a week, more than you will ever run, because it’s their only way out, and those who survive that are going to be really hard to beat unless you do everything perfectly,” Salazar told Ritzenhein. “If they have better biomechanics, too, you are in trouble.”

Now I'm skeptical about any statement that tries to attribute a blanket statement over an entire group of people, and this one is even worse, as Salazar slaps it on not one but two entire countries full of runners...even so, that's an interesting thought.

Do I believe it? I don't think so.

Do you believe it?

Well, Dathan can put his beliefs, and Salazar's, to the test in New York in a couple weeks.