Geoffrey Mutai, Boston Marathon, and Cool Ride & Tie

Geoffrey Mutai shattered the world record at the Boston Marathon today. His time is :2:03:02 for the 26.2 mile event. The temperature is cool and he is  aided by wind on the downhill. Unfortunately, the wind factor eliminates him from setting the world record at that distance . Wind or no wind that time is blistering. Can you imagine running 13 mph for 26 miles? That Kenyan is plenty fast. Hats off to him. There is a crossover between this event and the Cool Ride and Tie.

David, my partner at the Quicksilver and the Cool Ride and Tie ran a couple of Marathons. His marathon time at Boston is around three hours and that is fast as this is a new event distance for him . David's specialty is the half marathon. Needless to say,David and I do quite well as partners in the ride and tie. Through ride and tie, I met a number of world-class athletes that includes : Tom Johnson, Jim Howard, and Brian Purcell. These runners came in first in the Western States 100 . Mark Rickman came in third and is a winner in his age division the same year that I was in 2002. Dennis Rinde came in seventh twice at the Boston marathon a number of years ago. Tom Johnson, Mark  Rickman, and I are previous winners at the Cool Ride and Tie in the long course .Tom andMark have won the five-year event twice.

There is quite a difference between a road race and a trail run. For those of you unfamiliar with the trail, some of the obstacles include the following: deep ruts, sharp turns , uneven trail, rocks and roots to trip on, mud , deep streams with slippery rocks, severe elevation change, fallen trees and brush, stinging bees, poisonous snakes, and mountain lions and I have encountered all of the above. And of course, the trail runs are without mobs of spectators and large cash awards.One might ask "why do a trail"? One thing comes to mind is that the trail is gentler on your body and nature is wonderful. Not everyone is a professional runner and hoping to make their countries Olympic team .  Many of us  are amateurs, like the camaraderie, concerned about health and fitness, and found a passion.

On October 1, 2011 the Sixth Annual Cool Ride and Tie is going to be held in Cool . For more information, consult: Ride& Tie.org or post a note on the blog and I will contact you as Linda and I are race directors for the event.