Race for the Cure/Race for the Taste Reports

[chimera]

Back from a very cool RftT!

We got in late Fri night, checked in at SSR and went to DTD for a bit. Got up Sat morning (can't remember the last time I didn't need to get up early for a Sat LR ) and went to packet pickup. Our 'commerative race gift' was a lunchbox and water bottle. They did have Tshirts for the race, but at $18.50 a pop...no free race shirt

Had a nice WISH team mini-meet on the BW. Got to see Lynnda, Bill, their Billy (who's very close in age to the wild todd), Krista, Steve, Nancy and Barry. We had a little ice cream and beverage and chatted for a bit!

Slept better for this race than the half or the Minnie, but still not great. Logistics were a bit weird for us from SSR this time. In the past, we've stayed at BCV for easy EPCOT/finish line access. I was planning to drive to EPCOT and ride the bus to the start, but that we were afraid that would make it hard for DH and wild todd to get to the finish line since we didn't know when the morning park buses started running. So DH offered to get up and drive us over to WWOS. We bundled up the wild todd and all got in the car...got to the start at about 5:30am. Spent some time stretching, eating and visiting the porta potties before moving into the start gate around 5:45. They had food from All Star Cafe. I saw some bananas...and Buffalo chicken wings....love 'em, but not my choice for pre-race food

I didn't see any WISHers until Anne found us about 10 min before the start. Got to hang out with her and her DH, Bob, until the start. We were probably a bit forward of mid-pack and crossed the start line within the first minute of the race, I believe. I went with the R4/W1 which worked out great! It was hard to stop running after only 4 min at first since I'd been training with R8/W2 for so long. DD13 only hung around for the first interval, then she took off ahead.

This was one of my better race experiences overall. The course started at WWoS, but there was only about 2 miles of road before we got to MGM. They took us through Lights, Motor, Action where we saw ourselves up on the big screen, then down New York Ave

We followed behind the big hat,then around and out MGM, to the standard BW to EPCOT loop that they use in many of the races.

No characters during the race, but seemed like lots more cast members.

I met a lot of neat people during the race! Scott ran up and introduced himself first (yep, that was me...don't think I ever told you who I was ). Then I got to meet Matt's DW, Cheryl. I traded places with Anne's DH, Bob, throughout the race, but lost him somewhere after entering MGM. I met a nice lady who told me somewhere after MGM that she'd been using me as a pace person and was hoping we could finish together. Our intervals weren't quite in sync so we traded places a bit. I found her near the finish and said "Are ya ready?", so we booked it in over the finish line together. I got to see Krista and Steve after the race...they did great! And I met Matt with his DW and got to see Anne and her DH again. Post-race F&W food was salmon, salad with some wild onions, blackberry cobbler and lemonade. I only ate the blackberry cobbler and fed the rest to DH.

Clock time was 1:19:01. Garmin time was 1:18:26 over 6.34 miles for a 12:22 pace I was pretty pleased...splits were
1 12:20
2 12:02
3 12:28
4 12:16
5 12:48
6 12:38

DD13 finished at about 1:15, 5th in her age group

The shirts were a huge hit! I had so many people come up to me and tell me how much they liked the saying on the back. And there were several that passed me and I heard them telling their running partner, "Did you see that lady's shirt? It said Dead Last Finish....". I think it's especially neat since it was a team effort. Round of applause for the creative talents...this is the coolest shirt ever

But...I know what you really want to see Show me the bling!

And our post-race photo:

Thanks to each and every one of you! I took all of you with me and I couldn't have done it without all of your advice, commiseration and cheerleading! We make a great team!

 

[DianeL]

Mel excellent report!!!! Can't wait for next year to join in on it. Sounds like you had a blast and what kewl people you met along the way. The shirts most definitely do ROCK and the next time an order is placed I will be taking advantage of it. I'm kicking myself for not doing so before we headed to DL and missed out on the last order but at least I have my bracelets which I LOVE!!!! Major kudos to the shirt designers!!!! You all did very very good.

Now Mel those photos were amazing!!! And you know us soooo well with our desire for bling!!! How kewl is it? It looks very kewl with the dangling silverwear. LOVE IT!!!

Way to go to both you and your DD and a hip hip hooray for that wonderful DH of yours in getting ya to the start.


I read Steve's report on the main thread and can't wait to hear Krista's review. And ANNE!!!! You just gotta love her she's the best person to have along for a race because 5 minutes of her time gets ya to the finish line. Someone hug that woman!

Proud of all of our WISH Team both the RftT Team and those that did other races this weekend.


GO WISH TEAM GO!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!

 

[monte]

Great report Mel and thanks for posting pictures. How many miles was this race? Sweet medal...way to go!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Great job Mel!!! Congratulations! Mel, that is so great that you were able to run with your DD13. What an inspiration to all! Thanks for the report and pictures.

 

[thndrmatt]

So whose idea was it to run two races back to back?
I suppose it was mine.

Due to a stop in Tallahassee where DW went to school at Florida State on the way down Friday night, we didn't get into our hotel room until about 2am. We were staying at the Comfort Suites maingate off site due to everything being full by the time we were for sure confirmed to be going. Alarms went off at something like 5:45, and we were in the car by around 6:00 headed over to Animal Kingdom. Late packet pickup went smoothly, except for the fact I stood in the walk/fun run line and then had to go stand in the competitive chip timing line.

DW wasn't running this one, so she was the day's cheerleader and video recorder, as well as general motivator. Now of course you'd think knowing I was running a 10k the next day I would have taken it easy, but as usual that wasn't the case.

My two issues with the race were that the course map wasn't very helpful, so where the race started and finished was somewhat a mystery until you saw them. There was NO mile 1 marker which made it very tough of course to tell how stupidly fast you were going out... Crossed mile 2 right about at 16, which was right on pace for a PR, so that gave me an extra boost. But unfortunately the last half mile or so were somewhat desolate after you crossed out of the park, and you didn't really realize how close you were to the finish until you came around a corner of a large hedge, saw all the screaming fans, and the finish line only about twenty yards away. (no mile 3 marker either that I saw) So of course I kicked it into high gear, but after finishing felt like I had a bunch left and was frustrated I didn't start picking it up sooner. All the more reason to get a Forerunner I guess! The other crazy thing was for the first time ever in a race I had to stop to tie my shoe! And it was only about a half mile in on the way up over the bridge to the Tree of Life! I'm estimating that took about 6 seconds, but why? Well because I was only 6 seconds off beating my PR.

Wasn't too sore following the race, and after a leisurely day of mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens (great course, especially the difficult one!) a LENGTHY nap from like noon to six (sorry we missed the meet, but we were out coooold ) and the Cheesecake Factory for dinner (hey, carbs right?) we used the food coma to put us out relatively early in the evening.

Up again at 5:30 (haven't we done this before?) and out the door to make the drive to Epcot. Managed to get in line behind a guy at the tollbooths that really wasn't too helpful... They were just waving everyone through, and the guy stops and here is the exchange "I'm here for the race" "Yep just follow the line of cars" "No I'm here for the Race for the Taste 10k" "Yep go straight ahead and follow those cars" "right but I have this special parking pass thing" "yep you all do, go ahead and drive straight on" "but I was told to show this and then I'd make sure I was in the right place" "right that's straight ahead where all the cars are going" "but I'm not going to Epcot I'm here for the race" Do you see where this is going? Of course the other lane was just flying through so we weren't able to merge until after the 5 minutes had passed, and we were worried we'd miss the busses!

They said the last bus was at 6:15, but ours left around 6:30 and there were at least two more after us so I guess they fudged that a little. DW and I wished each other good luck (she was runnin this one, her second ever after the Labor Day in Atlanta with all the hills) and I started throwing elbows on my way up towards the front of the pack...

I was determined to take it easy to start the race, and chose someone with a strong stride and headphones on who seemed to be about the speed I was looking for. Came through the first mile at 8:20, which was slower than the 7:59 sillyness I started with at my last 10k. I let her go at that mile marker, and she was at least 100 yards or so ahead of me at the mini turnaround headed towards mile 2. Really didn't enjoy those banked turns though early on, tough to run evenly on! She was wearing bright blue so I kept an eye on her for the next mile, and when we passed through the stunt show I could still see her on the big screen! To my surprise as we came out of MGM I saw her just up ahead! I guess she'd been slowing down a bit as well, and I made the pass and gained a bunch of confidence! (she looked like she could run 5 marathons back to back) Very scenic along the river heading over towards the Swan, and then loved the wooden areas of the boardwalk that were springy, much easier on the feet. I also was quite pleased with all the downhills on the course, it seemed like the uphills were just a few strides and you were at the top, whereas for the down you could stretch out your stride and fly along and make up a lot of time. Last 1.2 seemed like a blink, and then it was down the hill out to the amazing finishing chute! I assume the marathon one is even bigger, so I'll be floating on air!

Found a guy to sprint against for the last bit, and as soon as I was medalled it was back out to the edge of Epcot to look for DW. Only waited a few minutes and out she came! On that last little hill she started turning it on, and I thought yep there's her top finishing kick, but then she found like 3 more gears out of nowhere! Her story is there was a girl next to her trying to beat her and she's sticking to it, but I never saw anyone... Maybe hallucinations that late in the race after running so fast?

And now everyone's favorite part, the results!

My previous PRs: 5k: 24:39, 10k: 55:59

Race for the Cure:
Mile 1 and 2: 16:00 Mile 3.1: 24:45 soooo close to a PR!
Race for the Taste:
Mile splits: 8:20, 8:46, 8:40, 9:03, 8:43, 8:37, 1:21
Total: 53:32 !!!
PR by nearly 2.5 MINUTES! And how bout those negative splits for the last few!

But of course my wife just had to go and show me up...
Her previous best (and only previous 10k was 1:10:41)
Her splits were unknown (although she now wants a watch that will take them ), but she finished in 1:05:18 !!! A PR by over FIVE MINUTES!

Better yet, I don't feel sore at all, and am ready to get back into marathon training on Tuesday! Who says two races in a row isn't fun?

Needless to say, we're both on

 

[princessmomma]

Matt, congrats to you and DH, arn't PR great??

Mel, loved you race reports and pictures. You look great, gotta love the runner's glow!

 

[DianeL]

Matt loved your report! Gave me a morning chuckle over the guy at the toll both and your wive's friend, isn't it Violet from the Incredibles that is invisible? Perhaps she as racing against her? LOL

Big CONGRATS to both you and your DW

 

[crzy4pooh]

Great reports Mel and Matt! Great job on the race!!!

Here is my race report/random thoughts and ramblings... I walked the Race for the Cure - non-competitive. We got up waaaaaay too early, but you could definitely feel the energy once we got to the AK parking lot. There were so many tables with goodies. I think Bill made a couple trips back to the car with all the freebies - yea! This is my third year doing RftC at Disney, and it seems to get bigger and better each year! This was also the 10th anniversary of RftC, so they added a few extra touches for that.

The chip-timed people lined up first, and we were behind the stage area. We counted them down and off they went. 10 minutes later, they had us lined up at the start. I really had no idea how many people were behind me. Bill said we easily doubled the number of the first group. I was almost into AK when I looked back and realized there were still people who hadn't even crossed the start line - what a sight!

I will admit that my preggo hormones were in full swing. It's hard to see what's going on around you when you're all teary! It was so amazing to see all the pink shirts of the survivors, and I was truly inspired by their courage and strength. One survivor was standing at the entrance to the park, thanking all of us for supporting breast cancer research and making a difference. Another woman I met on the course wearing a survivor shirt had her headphones on, and was singing/praying the entire way. She was thanking God for His mercy and strength, and thanked Him for our hospitals and doctors, and she prayed for the other survivors she saw around her. Once again, amazing! The person who probably touched me the most was a little girl who couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old. On her back was a sign that said she was running "in memory of my mommy". She just kept going with the most determined look on her face. I can't imagine dealing with cancer, let alone losing a parent to the disease, but for a child so young to endure such a loss... it just makes you want to do more.

We did get to see Nancy and Barry after the race. Barry was actually standing with Bill and Billy, and they all waved me into the finish. We also saw Anne and her DH while we were heading out. Once we got to the car, they had just started the survivors' walk. They made a tunnel with everyone and had the survivors walk through. I'm sure my emotions could not have handled that!!! So, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then over to Epcot (which was PACKED!!!!) It was great to see all the WISHers at the Boardwalk that afternoon!!! We're looking forward to seeing you again in January! And Mel - Billy is still asking where Lenna is. He had a great time chatting with her!

Billy had a good time while I was on the course. Apparently Miss USA came up to him and talked for a bit. He was very impressed with her! Also, the radio station gave him some goodies and took his picture - too cute! Bill and Billy also got to meet the WFTV news anchors and they gave him more magnets and goodies.

Anyway, I did finish almost 5 minutes faster than the 5K in DL - yea! I'm feeling better (yea for 2nd trimester!!!) and I have a plan to increase my walking now that the weather is a little better.

Happy training to everyone!!!

--Lynnda

 

[rKyDeX]

It was a hectic weekend for me and DD14.

We left the house at 6:00am Saturday to head for the Seminole Girls Soccer Tournament in Lake Mary.

First Game was at 9:45am. The girls tied 1-1 against the team they lost in overtime to during a tournament Labor Day weekend.

After the game we headed back to WWOS for packet pick-up. Grabbed a quick lunch and returned to Lake Mary.

Second Game was at 3:00pm. The girls won 3-0.

Considered heading back to WDW, but changed our minds and decided to have a nice dinner and go to bed early.

Woke up at 4:00am Sunday and left the hotel at 5:00am. Arrived at EPCOT around 5:45am and rode the bus back to WWOS. Hydrated, geared up, stretched and made my way to the start. About 5 minutes from the gun, the Mullet Marathon Team showed up. These four guys were hilarious.

Then gun went off and I crossed the line 1:13 later. The first mile and a half was a little congested, so I went with the flow and hung with the Mullet Marathon Team (which was broadcasting theme music from the Rocky movies). I think I passed Mel and her DD near this point, but I wasn't able to make the mini meet and I was't sure (plus, I didn't have my W.I.S.H. shirt on, but I was sporting a bright lime green Race Ready singlet). Eventually space opened up and I went into my 9:30 mpm pace mode.

I finished 57 out of 100 in my age group with a net time of 59:39. The second 3.1 miles sure seemed further than my training run course. Garmin 305 indicated a distance of 6.33 miles.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to hang around for long after the race because DD had an 11:30am game and I had to get back to the Hotel to get her up and going.

Third game was at 11:30am. The girls tied 1-1 against the team that was currently in first place, so they got to face them again in the championship game.

Championship game was at 3:00pm. The girls lost this time 2-0. Both goals were scored on corner kicks. DD is the goalie, and did a great job defending shots on goal, but couldn't defend the corner kicks.

Results: DD got a silver medal for second place and I got a gold finishers medal. Bling Bling.

Chester

 

[perfectmatch300]

DH and I did the non competitive 5K. I figured that being a Penguin as I am, it felt like the right place to be.

We drove down to WWOS on Fri afternoon and picked up our race packets. No WISHer sightings, but DH enjoyed watching a few innings of a women's baseball game before we went back home.

I spent over an hour Fri night setting up my race clothes and packing everything I expected to need for the rest of the day. Tried to get to sleep early, but I'm not very good at that. Still was a lot earlier than my normal bedtime!

Got up at 5AM Sat and drove to AK. Roads were clear till we hit race traffic. We still had plenty of time for a potty stop before the start of the race. Too bad we didn't see the second bank of porta potties back closer to the area where the racers were lining up! No lines at all there!

We watched the start of the competitive 5K, then got into line for the start of our event. I'd say we ended up near the middle of the group. DH and I agreed to start together, but to each go at our own pace, so that's what we did. I actually managed to stay with him for a while because I did jog some at the start, but he quickly moved ahead of me, and he was walking!

I got so many comments about my WISH shirt! Everybody loved the DLF slogan! They all wanted to know where I got it. Hopefully a few of them will find their way here.

Now, remember here that while I exercised this summer, I really was not training to prepare for a race. No surprise when my legs started to cramp up on mile 1 because I tried to push myself at the start. I slowed down a little to be sure I could keep going. By the time I hit the first water stop, they were feeling much better. I did see a mile 1 marker right after the first water station, but it was behind a lot of volunteers who were handing out water when I went by.

Mile 2 was tough for me. I kept thinking the turn around point was right around the corner, only to find out it was not! I still hadn't seen DH come back the other way yet and I wasn't sure what was taking him so long. I finally saw him and realized I still had a way to go before the turn. By now people were passing me instead of me passing them. I didn't like that very much! I finally hit the turn, and on to mile 2. That second water stop really perked me up, as did the woman I found just before mile 3 handing out bottles of COLD water! Now I was able to get moving again!

I didn't see as many animals as I expected to, but I sure smelled a few! I did see some monkeys between Kali Rapids and Everest. As we got closer to the finish, I could hear the noise of the crowd. I knew I was almost there! As the finish line came into sight, I was able to break into a jog once more, and crossed the finish line running! It was my best time for a 5K, beating my time for the Minnie 5K by 38 sec. I did go at a faster pace on the 2 mile Turkey Trot we did in the snow last Thanksgiving, but still a PR for me at the 5K distance. Not too bad, especially considering the lack of training. I guess I was getting more benefit from the exercise I did manage to do over the summer than I expected. I really thought my time would be slower!

DH was a sweetie and went back to the car for our camera after he finished, so I have pictures! My shirt really shows up well! And the very best thing for me - NO DLF!!!!!

After the race, we found Lynnda, Bill and Billy, then Anne and Bob, so we had a mini WISH meet. Then we went to Boma for brunch with Anne and Bob. We had a great time with them and enjoyed our brunch very much.

After brunch, Barry and I relaxed for a while, then headed over to Epcot. It was hot and the park was crowded. We managed rides on SSE and Figment before heading on over to ESPN Zone and the meet with Mel and her family, Lynnda, Bill, and Billy, and Krista and Steve. It was great meeting and talking with all of you!

After the meet, we were planning to work our way around the World Showcase and have dinner that way, but by now the crowds were even bigger than before and we were pretty tired, so we headed home with a quick stop on the way for dinner. All in all, a most enjoyable day.

 

[monte]

Great reports....love the pictures....keep them coming!

 

[WDWFAN9]

awesome reports!

 

[JimB.]

My friend & colleague, Chris C. came in 3rd OVERALL on Sunday.

WTG Chris!!!!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I love the reports and the enthusism shared. It is great!

 

[scoolover]

Hi all. I just got back yesterday from a week long trip. I did the Race for the Taste and meet a few WISHers (Mel and I think Anne). The race was awesome. I got there about 6:15 and hung around for a while doing some light stretching and at about quarter of seven, I got in line for the start. I forgot to start my watch at the gun and figured that it took about a minute and a half to cross the start line.

I was pretty in awe of the whole running at Disney thing that stuff just flew by. I am usually about a 10 minute mile guy and went through the first mile at about 12 and a half clock minutes. I figured that was good considering the traffic.

I was very excited to see a few WISHers and made a B-line for them and I cut off hundreds of runners to do so. Those shirts are awesome and can't be missed.

After the first two miles I tried to pick up the pace a little as it had thinned out some. I got very excited as we came upon MGM.

Like I said, this was my first run through the world and I could not wait to run through a closed park. It was as cool as I thought it would be.

The mile three marker was in MGM kind of hidden around a corner and I almost missed it. Again I tried to pick up the pace a little as I wanted to break an hour in my first 10K. I think that I start out too slowly in these shorter races. After the first 3 miles or so, I can only remember a few people passing me and I must have passed a few hundred people. That tells me that my pace is too slow at the start. Perhaps not but whatever. I'll figure it out over time. This will benefit me in the marathon though.

We exited MGM and I was really trying to keep up the tempo through the boardwalk area.

Through EPCOT, I just tried to keep picking off people. Not that I cared what place I was in but I knew that I would keep up the pace that way.

Passing the six mile marker was nice and led to an all out run to the finish. My clock time was around 1:01.30 so I knew the chip time would be close. I finished in 59:49 and could not be happier. Like I have said too many times, the race was awesome and I will do more. I will just have a car when I do.

It was nice meeting some of you and hopefully, I will see you again around marathon time.

Take care
Scott

By thw way, taking pictures while running is much harder than I imagined it would be. 90% of the pice were too blurry to post. Another good discovery before the marathon.

 

[chimera]

Great reports everyone! Love all the photos! It's cool seeing the race from everyone else's perspective.

Official race photos are up:

http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=11086&ID

DD13 and I are bib # 84 and #85. Ummm...the photos are a bit embarrassing this time

 

[rKyDeX]

Here I am: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=11086&BIB=1399

Bib 1399

 

[Maherae]

Hello, team!!
Family drama has delayed my report..but here it is..

We arrived at WDW Friday evening, raced over to WWoS to see if we could pick up our race packet, but we were too late. Checked out the merchandise..no pin for RftT . Checked into our off site hotel. It turned out to be just down the road from WWoS, which is what I had hoped, but you never know.. By then it was too late to do any of the parks, so we had dinner and called it a night.

Saturday we got up to try and catch our teammates at the finish, but miscalculated! They were already cooling down when we found them. It was so much fun to see Nancy and Barry, Lynnda, Bill and Billy. Lynnda and Nancy did a great job!! Nancy and Barry had invited us to breakfast at Boma's..yummmm!! We had a great visit and were sorry to leave them! Race packets were calling, though, so it was back over to WWoS. We had a little time before we had to meet our DD, so we zipped over to MGM as Lights, Motor, Action was one of the shows we wanted to see. Unfortunately, once we got the schedule, the first show wouldn't be starting while we were there! While we were wandering around, I did manage to get a picture with Minnie to make up for May when I couldn't wait around.

Sunday saw us up and ready to go. In the race packet was a plastic wrist band with tags 1,2,3,4 on it. No explanation in the information letter. I put mine on before the race, DH decided to leave his in the car. We figured it had something to do with the food, but as we had never done this race, thought maybe it was for inside EPCOT. We parked at EPCOT and took the bus over to the start at WWoS. The first "unusual" thing was the set up for the port-a-potties. They had plenty, but they were in two rows, facing each other! So if you can imagine a crammed area with alternating lines...just weird!! Can't add much to what has already been said. It was a good race, but I'll take EPCOT in May with flowers over October for a race!! I kept hoping that I would round a corner and come upon a character..but nary a one. I did think it was neat that they had "chefs" at all of the mile markers and along the route!

It was great for me to be walking over a familiar route. We got encouragement from the transportation boat at the Swan (Thought of you Kristi and how you were an encouragement at Minnie!)

View from the Boardwalk

Once in MGM, we ran into

where they did the Jumbotron

and apparently for the first runners (like Matt), they lit the water up with fire as they passed!!

Here's the Mullet Marathon Team Chester talked about. DH thought they were a riot with their "Rocky" music!

These guys were at the beginning, but I didn't see them until the end..

And our teammates..Scott passing me

..

,​

Wendy passing me (note the sweeper bus!)

Sorry, Wendy! I even took two pictures, but they were both blurred!
And then those speedy ones that I never see until the end...
Mel and her family

and Matt and Cheryl

I'm sorry I missed Krista and Steven! and CHESTER!! I thought that was you I saw..but there was no beard!! so I didn't say, "Hi!"

DH was waiting for me at the end to get our medals . We got a bottle of water and as we headed out, a volunteer told us to grab some more water as no one was allowed back in. That was the first time I experienced that. Later on, though, there were teenage volunteers carrying water bottle pallets through the crowd and offering bottles of water.

Those plastic wrist bands? Yes, they were your meal ticket for the four tents set up at the finish. DH had to walk back to the car, which was parked close by!, to get his band. Somehow between the time he left to get his band and we got into line 1 (all of 10 min, maybe) I looked down at my wrist to see NO BAND!! (Yes, I thought of you, Dana! ) I went to the information tent to plea my case, and they told me several other people had the same problem. The kind volunteer just opened a box and put a new band on me. I was impressed that there was lots of food for all of the racers. No running out of food by the time us last people got there!

We even got to see the awards given out. The organizers gave a check for $500 to Second Harvest as well as all of the cans of food that was collected during packet pick up and before the race.

As far as my stats..I am a poster child for all of the REAL Penquins! I thought that I did much better with doing the angles on the turns. GARMIN had my distance at 6.36 which is much better than my last 10K distance of 6.60! It had my pace at 14:19, but chip had my pace at 14:39 which is still fine by me. Thanks again, team, for encouraging this old body to get moving!! Anne

 

[monte]

Thanks for posting such a great report Anne and way to go on crossing the finish line!

 

[rKyDeX]

Anne,

Yea, it was probably me. I trimmed the beard down to reduce drag.

Great report and thinks for posting a pic of the Mullet Marathon Team.

Chester