Results and impressions for February 15, 2014 – Elvis lives, long live The King!

Conditions were a bit chilly but dry when we set up registration on this somewhat foggy February morning. And out of the mist appeared none other than – Elvis!

Lisa “Elvis” Hern

Thus inspired, Jason Saltzman pulverized the record in the Non-Aero Juniors category by over 5 minutes! (Though I doubt he’s old enough to even have heard of Elvis.) Jeromy Cottell/Craig Roemer and Jennifer Zierke/Keith Hillier slotted into second place on the leaderboard in the 2M and 2MW TTT categories, as did Mark King in the Single Speed Aero Men. Liza Rachetto and Jerrold Alcantra made it into 3rd place on the leaderboard in their second run of the day.

Full results by category here, and by overall here.

Here’s a brief report from a personal viewpoint: At the last second, inspired by Elvis’ appearance, I decided to unretire from racing (albeit only for 10 miles), because how often does one get the chance to be held by Elvis at the startline? It was now or never.

Elvis, our starter, holding Sabine Hoffmann

By the time I was at Edgewood, manned by course marshal Trudee Gardner, I was ready to return to sender, cause my bones and joints were creaking like somebody forgot the oil. But then again, I’m a hard-headed woman and there’s no greater fool such as I, so I continued. By Filoli, I figured out, that it wasn’t my joints but my bike that was creaking, since I hadn’t planned on racing and barely pumped up the tires. With that soundtrack in my head I was all shook up by the time I reached the turnaround with our fabulous, boa-adorned hula girls Debra Paulsen and Mary Marquez. After the brief downhill it was all uphill to the finish and I begged my aching legs, don’t be cruel. I certainly wasn’t ripping it up out on the course and it was a long way to go till the promised land (AKA the finish line), which I finally reached. Finally, the end of the road. I certainly won’t be going to a party with blue suede shoes on my achy breaky legs tonight.

Star power at the start line: Elvis and 2x Olympian Christine Thorburn

Super-volunteer Debbie Merritt at the start line

Finish line crew: Karl Matzke, David Paulsen, trafficator John Novitsky, and race-husband Jono Coulter

Course marshal Libby Rouan

“Pin girl” Kim Perez and registrator Jill Matzke

Mrs. Beat the Clock, Patt Baenen-Tapscott

Beat the Clock will be back in March. Until then – a big hunk o’love from the BTC crew.