Final day. It’s been quite a trip. Quite a month, actually.
Last time for this craziness. Probably 8 tests done.
Carson Hall has some serious portobello game today.
A little concerned about the yogurt flavors today….Jalapeno? Sour Cream? Pico de Gallo?
The food choices were generally pretty good. Today, they pegged the meter: Cuban sandos!
Men’s 5000m final is moved to the morning’s ice cold 87 degree temperatures. Once again, RJ catches the victory lap….with two world class Blondie photobombs.
The least crowded I’ve seen the dining hall in 10 days…
This shot doesn’t show how un-frosty-like it was out there.
The steadicam, all 65 pounds and $35,000, hangs off the camera dude’s vest. His upper body supports the weight, not his right arm, and gets perfectly level as he walks along the track.
Maybe not…..Sunday’s track events are postponed due to the Mercury-like heat. I make the quick decision to bail out and go home, early morning meetings (we’re talking 0530). Ron and Joan concur, and we’re quickly on the road.
After we unpack in Bend, I sign up for NBCSN streaming, and we watch the events at 9pm local time.
400m hurdles, and a world record. Do I tell you now that my hometown is 15 miles from Sydney’s, so I deserve some credit? She didn’t take a sliver out of the previous record, she did some Cookie Monster chewing on it.
800m. Athing Mu is here to stay. Raevyn Rogers has her likeness on that cool stadium tower, and she was squinting to see Mu’s heels. That girl does not fade.
1500m. UO’s Hocker is buried and boxed with a lap to go. He does his best Nick Symmonds impression (turning sideways to bust thru a hole), then accelerates like the Space Shuttle when he’s 120m from the line. Boom, just a remarkable step change in velocity. He runs down reigning Olympic Champ Centro, and when has THAT ever happened? The crowd goes bananas, rightfully so.
200m…a 17 yr old boy from Tampa runs his skinny little behind onto the Olympic Team. Tish and Steve, what do y’all have in the water down there?
Back at the house, Zoe stops by to meet the gang…
Monday morning 0500 coffee tastes great with the right company
RJ has our class logo prominently displayed on his trusty steed.
Final thought….
I thrive on seeing people doing what they are born to do, the ease and efficiency while producing at full output. For two years now, I looked forward to this event, and one big reason was to see my two Olympian friends in their element, seeing their old friends, soaking in an environment they hadn’t experienced in decades.
Joan was thrilled to see teammates from her youth, coaches she knew, and she met some fans she never knew she had.
RJ? Well, as his college coach once asked, “Ronnie, who’s the center of attention when you’re sleeping?” I knew of Ron in college but never knew him personally until 4 years ago. I spent years imagining him walking around Hayward Field like he is the Mayor of Track Town, and I wasn’t disappointed. Every time i walk down the backstretch, he and his boys and girls (all former pro runners) are talking smack to me, the next section, the runners, the homestretch fans, the track announcer….there was much howling and glee and hijinks. At Taco Tuesday, Ron is manning the grill and killing it.
Logistically, a pandemic takes its toll on events like this. Thankfully, none of us have been sick or otherwise afflicted. After all the twists and turns, we made it happen, and we hit it out of the park.
I expected nothing less.
