Monday, August 6, 2012

Olympic Marathon Brunch

On Sunday morning while my husband and most of my friends were still sleeping, I got up at 4am to finish prepping to host a brunch for the Women's Olympic Marathon. We knew Kara, Shalane, and Desi had worked their butts off and we wanted to see them represent the U.S.! Who was crazy enough to come to my house before the sun rise to drink some booze and cheer for the USA? These ladies!
Back: me, Kate S, Maggie, Amanda C, Amanda W, Susan
Front: Sara, Nicole

Thanks to this article on Buzz Feed, I got some great ideas on some things to do for decorations and food.
star cookie cutter + watermelon
"Beers of the World" L to R: Japan, Mexico, Belgium, USA, Ireland

Then other folks brought casseroles, fruit, booze, and other stuff too.
Drinking a mimosa at 5:30am while watching Kara and Shalane lead the pack. #winning
In case you haven't seen the latest issue of Runners World that describes the course, it had tons of turns (110 to be exact) and did the same loop 3 times. Also, we kept checking the weather and temps were in the mid 60s with 85% humidity. That humidity looked like a killer and the athletes out there were soaked with rain and sweat. It looked positively miserable out there and I felt so bad for our ladies. The Internet was a-flutter the days before the race regarding Desi Davila and whether or not she would start.

Spoiler Alert! Desi started but she didn't finish. She is such a strong runner so I can only image her disappointment to not feel 100% on race day. Shalane and Kara gave it all they got and finished 10th and 11th, respectively. Neither athlete put up a PR but Shalane was pretty dang close. With those conditions including the course, that is quite impressive. Even though these women didn't win the gold, they didn't give up without a fight and proudly represented our country. There are tons of photos of Shalane and Kara after their finish, with their arms around each other for support. It is such a moving image and a great demonstration of these women. (I don't want to post and risk copyright infringement stuff. BORING...) These Olympics so far have been so inspiring in so many ways!!

Remember that today is the LAST DAY to enter my Pro Compression raffle! The winner will be chosen tomorrow morning!

13 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear I missed such a great time!

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  2. Bummed I couldn't make it! I probably wouldn't have fallen asleep between miles 13 and 24 if I'd been hanging with you ladies :) Although, laying in a recliner with a pillow and a blanket probably didn't help...

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  3. This looks like so much fun! I love the enthusiasm you ladies have ;)

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  4. Um you forgot to mention the super awesome national anthem playing flag you got for the bargain price of one dollar. (Right? It was a dollar?)

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  5. Whoa, you guys are so cool! I highly doubt I could have talked one person into watching it with me, much less an entire group. So hardcore.:) I woke up late, and they were finishing just as I turned the TV on. But at least I got to see the gold medalist break through the tape. And it was pretty amazing that the first ten or so finishers were only a few minutes apart. I loved how team USA helped each other walk away from the finish line.

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  6. FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yee1rfJmVK8

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  7. Around 7pm I was so tired I could barely function. I wasn't able to fit in some nap time like my other friends (jealous). I think the sugar in the orange juice in the mimosas helped keep me awake... :)

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  8. I had a few friends that I knew planned on watching it, so why not watch it together? I was happy to host as it gave me some motivation to clean things up around the house. :) I'm glad you got to watch the end! It definitely was an exciting end!

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  9. Ericka @ The Sweet LifeAugust 6, 2012 at 12:42 PM

    I love this idea and totally would have participated if anyone planned it! Luckily, I woke up in time to see the last 5 miles -- and that was a blast just by myself in a hotel room! It inspired the post I wrote today and got me super excited for my next race. Great idea!

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  10. Yay! I am happy the party was so fun! It was great to watch the event and see how the lead changed and when the smaller lead pack of Africans broke away. I really wish they would have shown what happened to Shalane that so many people passed her in the end (when she went from 6 to 5, then got passed, and ended up in 10th).

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  11. Looks like fun! Well done, Kelly!

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