From high noon on April 12 to high noon on April 13, the Old Guns, Young Ones, and Banditos traversed 200 miles of the state of South Kakalaki from Columbia to Charleston. We pistol whipped (most of) the competition – finishing 2nd of 48 in our division and 6th of 73 overall. We also won the title “Life of the After Party,” which the race organizers oddly forgot to include on the website. Here’s a pictorial recap of our race:

Okay, enough of the prep work. It’s time to get down to business: the run.

It was a great race. Everyone ran well and enjoyed the experience. We only had one miscommunication about exchange points, but a volunteer and quick thinking meant it only cost us about 30 seconds (which is nothing in relay time). We shared conversations and thoughts that only 24 hour van rides and sleepless or nearly sleepless nights can stimulate. We rang the cowbell for all Palmetto runners – loudly by day, quietly by night. We had signs, maracas, and bandanas. There were water pistols filled with water and other things…  In short, it was tremendous, and I cannot wait to ride again.

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A note on future relays:

With two relays under our collective sombreros, we are quickly becoming old hands. For instance, we know what food to bring (brownies and sesame noodles), which night gear is the best (reflective vests with integrated lights), and how to plan for stops along the way (call the state tourism agency). We are also developing the all-important list of criteria for picking our next challenge:

The relay must (or really ought to):

1. Start and end in places where we have family and friends
2. Have a good finishing location (beaches are a theme)
3. Have a kickin’ after party (how else will we defend our title?)

Thus, with these criteria in mind, OGYOB has elected to ride again in the Tuna Run, October 18-19, from Raleigh to Atlantic Beach. Be prepared for all things fishy as we school up.

PS Video of Palmetto 200 coming soon!