The Big Race by Elliot

It was race day, Sunday February 21,1999. A beautiful day, clear and about 75 degrees. About 300 inline skaters were ready to start the 10K race around Aventura. In the crowd of bladers near the starting line was a very nervous Dr. K. As he looked around all he could see were skaters all so much younger than he and many dressed in skate club uniforms. His heart was beating faster and faster. The starter said "30 seconds to start".
Suddenly the combination of Gatorade and a Snickers bar reminded him of what he had just eaten. He took an enormous deep breath and off he went into the frightening  mass of skaters.  Don't knock me over was his first thought. The youngsters were flying at the start. "I won't be last", he kept saying to himself, "I won't be last".
Suddenly Dr. K realized the course was going down hill. "I don't do down hill", he thought to himself. As his speed picked up the pack thinned out and he settled down into a skating rhythm.
Pushing hard, he approached the first mile. He actually passed someone and then another and a third. Realizing there were still 5.2 miles to go he slowed down a bit. He was breathing hard and still so far to go. A policeman on a motorcycle was suddenly on his left. Dr. K asked if the officer would give him a tow. The officer laughed and said, "Sorry I left my ropes at home", and motored ahead. "It was just a thought", Dr. K yelled to the officer.
Puffing forward, Dr. K's skate hit one of the traffic cones. He continued without slowing down. At mile 2 people were handing out water in Dixie cups. As he sped by he grabbed a cup, dumping most of it on the guy that handed it to him. "Sorry", Dr. K shouted. The water did taste  good.
Now what to do with the cup. 'Don't litter' had been one of his many mottoes. Remembering how they did it on TV, Dr. K slammed the empty cup onto the roadside.
He was approaching  the worst part of the course. It was a rocky and bumpy stretch along side of the Lehman Causeway. To make matters worse it was much more narrow than the early part of the track, up hill (okay it was a slight positive incline, but a hill for Florida) and into a wind.
Again he said to himself," I won't be last, push, push". Suddenly without warning his skate hit a road reflector. His fantastic sense of balance kept him upright, losing only a bit of his speed. With a burst of speed passed another skater. Wow!
As he went into the second lap of the course he saw his lovely wife Judy. She was there to cheer him on, pick up the pieces if necessary, to photograph her hero and to hand him the Gatorade bottle. Due to his blazing speed she had not expected to see him so soon. Besides that, with helmet on, she wasn't sure it was he. Skating by her he grabbed the bottle in a flawless transfer. Horrors, Judy didn't get a picture.
After drinking his fill of Gatorade, he casually tossed the bottle into the grass. 'Don't litter' was no longer a consideration. All that mattered was to finish the race. Pressing on, he closed in on a skater. Remembering the auto races from TV, he began drafting behind her. After a while she caught on and slowed down. She must have heard that heavy breathing behind her and decided to be careful of what must have sounded like an obscene phone call.
Just ahead was a chance for more water. He grabbed a cup and decided he'd do what he had seen in the NY marathon. He dumped it on his head. "I can't see", he said to himself as the water rolled off of his helmet and over his glasses. He passed another skater (it doesn't matter that the guy had stopped to fix his skates! He passed someone.)
One mile to go, but on that rough windy incline. Again his skate hit a road reflector but Dr. K maintained his balance. The force had popped open the skate strap. Raising is leg he pushed the strap down. It wouldn't stay locked. Only a mile to go on a shaky blade. Onward he went, doing his best to overcome this adversity. He could see the finish line. With a tremendous burst of speed and power, his final kick allowed him to pass two skaters as he crossed the finish line.
Whizzing past the official who was collecting tags he continued down the street. You see, Dr. K never really learned how to stop and his skates didn't have a brake. After rolling to a stop, he skated back to the official.
Only then did Dr. K realize that he had not been last. His hopes had been realized. His time for 6.2 miles (actually longer) was a mere 30 minutes. In two of the under 30 age groups the third place finishers took 28 minutes. In Dr. K's group, the 30 and over group, the winner's time was just under 18 minutes (by a child of 31 years). If the age groups had been in 10 year groupings instead of just 30 and over, Dr. K would have won in his group.
In addition to the satisfaction of finishing very far from last, the race sponsors gave out a six pack of bottled water, a bunch of bananas and a bag of bagels. And don't forget the neat tee shirt.
When interviewed Dr. K said he definitely would be back for more. Good Show !

Update 1: In the race in 2000, Dr. K. came in 19th overall with a time of 26 minutes. He was awarded a medal. He was cheered on by his son and family and his next door neighbor.

 On Your Mark. Get Set.  GO!                                        HEY, Wait for me!

I really made it!

And now the latest news:
Date: July 27th 2003
Time: 8:00 AM
Place: Birch State Park Ft. Lauderdale
Event: 2003 Family Fitness Weekend- Inline Skate Race
I WON !!! Read on to the rest of the story.

In the sweltering heat of a South Florida morning, the skaters assembled at the starting line. Already sweating from the 30 minute delay in the start time, your hero (me of course) in his khaki shorts and black shirt with a �Save the Whales� logo was deep in the pack of racers waiting to go.. Wearing the number �10� as befits his slim trim athletic figure (as I see it through my thick glasses) he was ready. Having consumed a banana, a large Snickers bar, Advil and a bottle of Gatorade, the excitement gave way to a bit of indigestion from his pre-race regime.
�On your mark, get set, go!� cried the starter. The racers were off is a blaze of speed. Needing to conserve his energy for the 7.6 mile course our hero maintained a slightly slower pace than the rest of the skaters. This was a good strategy. Approaching the end of the first of four laps a group of youngsters. half his age and maybe weight, whizzed by, lapping our hero. Not to worry. His plan was working. He would have energy at the finish line As the race continued a few dozen more skaters passed him by. His plan was still in tact (after all Lance Armstong was 112th in the final leg of the Tour de France). . As he finished the second lap he was heard calling out to the race officials, �where is the oxygen?�. On he went into lap three. He passed a 12 year old who had fallen down. A credit to his racing skills. As he ended the third lap, he was heard calling out for a resuscitator. One lap to go. With Lightning speed ( FYI: Lightning is a pet turtle) he closed in on the finish line. He actually passed one skater before crossing the finish line.
Sadly, our hero was injured upon returning to the gathering pavilion. Having never learned how to stop, he grabbed for a column. A minor timing error on his part resulted in a contest with the column which unceremoniously knocked him on his butt in front of 50 skaters. One asked �Don�t you know how to stop?�. Unabashed our hero whose dignity and derri�re were somewhat damaged managed to get up and then tried to hide. But alas, to the credit of Cooper City and all men with slightly aging bodies, our hero won first place in his age category with a time of about 40 minutes.. This was the second time in this annual event that our hero took first place.
Now don�t get too inquisitive.
Answers to questions like �What was hero�s actual finishing position�, �How many were in his age category�, and �What was the time of the fastest racer� are really irrelevant and immaterial .
I have the winners plaque and that�s all that counts.
Thank you for reading this news article. Tune in next year for another racy news report.

 

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