As a relatively new member of the Marine Cobra Helicopter WSSA, I showed my patriotism by signing up early for the MAD Dash 10K run. Following the pattern set this year, Rademacher Run (cold, windy, cloudy) and Me and My Dawg (snow, rain), it is cold, windy, and raining when I leave the house. Despite the weather, there is a big crowd around the Marine Aviation Detachments building. Registration is inside. My registration has been lost. I hastily re-register. Goldilocks is just barely high enough to get two paws and a muzzle on the 4-foot high counter. "And running companion," says a secretary, happily petting.

Other canine runners include a long-haired black dog, a short-haired black and white, and two LARGE male Golden Retrievers that dwarf Goldilocks. They weigh 80 pounds or more and are large for the breed.

The starting line is unfurled and held in place by Marines. The starting remarks by Marine Commandant (who ran in the race) and another were mercifully brief. Stripped to actual running clothing, which runs from well-protected folks like me to sweatshirts that do nothing to keep out wind and cold to T-shirts and shorts, the crowd is shivering. A Marine holding an impressive looking M-16 is the starter. The gun goes off with an unimpressive light "pop," totally incongruous. The cold crowd, eager to be warm, sets a fast pace.

We start out directly into the wind and rain, but the rain stops when we turn North. We reach the first aid station. Goldie drinks from a cup gulping  from the stream of water going into the cup as the attendant refils it for her. Goldie, realizing quickly that the handsome young men at the aid stations and tose directing traffic are suckers for a sweet young thing, goes up to them begging for pats and is cheerfully indulged.

We run through the streets in the housing area on the base, and on the large paved jogging path that completely circles the housing and goes between the housing and the golf course toward its end.

I see a "5" sign and a " 2" sign. 5.2 miles??? No, mile 5 for the 10K, mile 2 for the 5K. Sigh, .2 mile less than I thought.
I almost turn down the jogging road instead of going straight past the golf course parking lot. At the end of the golf course road is a Marine who has taken temporary shelter in his vehicle. The route zigs right (north) around a house, onto a short dirt stretch, and onto the back road leading back to Lauritsen.

We turn left on Lauritsen, and the MAD building is close. It's still raining, though lightly, when we cross the finish line. A large clock reads 1:06:18 as we truck past. This matches my time for the Me and My Dawg 10K last year. Not only have I not slowed down, I did it without Hobo's tow job.

I join the crowd at the Wreck Center. It is a cold, wet crowd, but at least we have a roof over our heads, and it is a bit warmer and coffee  brewing. I chat with the Commandant. There are no cases of heat exhaustion, but there were some of hypothermia.

The drawings include a 25" TV set, a $125 backpack, a tote, and tickets to the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and other fun spots in addition to the usual certificates (about 10 certificates for massages), T-shirts, and baseball caps. I don't win anything. The give-away and credits help to while away the time until the race results are ready. We still have to wait about 15 minutes from the end of give-away to the start of results. By now, coffee is available and I am much happier.

The winner's time for the female 50s decade is 56 minutes, second is 1 hour 2 minutes, third is 1 hour 21 minutes. WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!! That's my category, and I finished a lot faster than 1 hour 21 minutes. I should be third. They are handing out nifty little medallions on patriotic red, white, and blue ribbons, and I want one. I question the results the following week and the Marines confirmed my 3rd place in my age group in the 10K run with a medal and a handsome letter of acknowledgement and an apology for the mix-up.

 I appreciated the Marine on each corner directing traffic (I'd get a few seconds break while Goldilocks begged for pats).

Now that we don't have to be out in the weather, the clouds have cleared, and the sun is shining. It's still not warm, but it is far more cheerful. The snow line is down to 5,000 feet, and the Sierra have a significant white coat that extends far closer to the valley than anyone would expect for April.

Team NQR (Not Quite Right) participated in the 13th annual MAD Dash. Of course, the team members (Mark McKinney and Eric Kajiwara) got into the Marine spirit and ran the 10K course in "boots and uts." As it should be!!

The race was started with the firing of an M-16 (which would've been better if it had be fully automatic). The first mile was a little chilly because it was into the wind and rain, but after you became numb, it was fine. One thing was good about the wind and rain--no worries about heat exhaustion.

It was a good thing that we had our combat boots on because not one bungy stick was able to penetrate our boot soles. We chased Janet Toler around the course, but she scampered off ahead of us because she spotted us in spite of our camos. We were less than two miles (is that two clicks??) from the finish when Admiral Johnson spotted Team NQR and gave us a hearty URRAAAH!! Mark and I finished in 51 and some change. I was able to capture second place in my age group.

The raffle drawing prizes ranged from a 25" color TV to a free massage. Almost all of the participants received a raffle prize except for me. I am happy for all of the people who won prizes. Really, I am, Barb.

The MAD Marines did an excellent job of hosting the race. No chance of getting lost with a Marine at each turn. They had lots of sports drinks and fruit at the finish. Even their prayers for rain and wind were answered. The only things lacking were 8-foot barriers to climb over or a 1/8-mile of waist deep mud to crawl through. Crawling under a steady stream of 50 caliber machine gun fire would've been a nice touch.

I competed in both the 5K and the 10K runs on Sunday, April 22 in Lancaster, California. This "Run Against Violence" event was sponsored by the Lancaster Lions Club and the Lancaster High School Seniors with the proceeds going to the Antelope Valley Domestic Violence council and the Valley Oasis shelter.

The 5K race started at 8:00 a.m. I placed first in the 60+ age group with a time of 24:16 (7:50 per mile pace). I finished 16th out of 52 runners of all age groups in this event. The 10K race started at 8:45 a.m. I placed second in the 60+ age group with a time of 55:41 (8:59 per mile pace). Very nice engraved metals were presented to the winners of each age group.

These events were well-organized and enjoyed the help of the High Desert Runners Club of the Palmdale-Lancaster area. Also, the Lancaster High School Cheerleaders did an excellent job of encouraging all the runners. The weather was clear, cool, and calm with no wind in contrast to the blustery previous day.