A Contest Won and a Set of Lost Keys

Congratulations to Brenda for winning best decorated van for the Mid-Texas Symphony team. She's already plotting which awards category she will attack next year. Please don't make us run as cheerleaders next year so we can win the spirit award!

There is no question the TIR is a marathon endeavor; in fact, almost 8 marathons back to back. We also know that once the adrenalin wears off post-race (this usually hits about 20 miles out of Houston), it is still a long way to our respective finish lines. That's why Brenda and I decided to stay Sunday night in Gonzales. Brenda dropped off a little past 7 o'clock and I lost conciousness around 8. I don't recall even once rolling over for the next 10 hours.

We rose Monday morning to the rain which had so mercifully spared us during the race. Unfortunately, the rest of the early morning did not turn out so merciful. I gathered what I could carry and headed down to pack my car. That's when I began asking the question, where, pray tell, are my car keys? They were no longer jangling in the pocket of my warmups. Must be in the glove box of the van, I thought. NOT. Over the next 45 minutes I went numerous times through every pocket, all to no avail. The keys were gone. Lost. Scattered between Gonzales and the San Jacinto Monument.

Brenda asked at the hotel desk about getting a locksmith. The two employees looked at each other and concluded: "Oh, he died a few years ago." OK. Where can I rent a car? "Not in Gonzales," they said. "You'll have to go to Seguin."

At that point, I just needed to get to my house in San Antonio, get my spare keys, and then get back to Gonzales. What about Greyhound? "Oh, they haven't come through Gonzales in years." Brenda couldn't take me to SA. She was running on a mileage limit and also against time to get the van returned. Our brother Kenneth was none too excited when we called him and explained my predicament, but he agreed to lend a hand. Brenda dropped me in Austin, where I got into Kenneth's car. We drove to SA, where I had a quick reunion with my 4 dogs, then back to my poor stranded car in Gonzales. I repaid him with a tank of gas and a stop for barbeque at the City Market in Luling. What a day!

And what mileage for the extended weekend! San Antonio to Schulenburg (where David Horne left his truck for quick getaway on Saturday). That's 103 miles, then another 47 miles back to Gonzales. We all know the 203 miles of the race. Houston back to Gonzales was 169 miles. The Gonzales-Austin-San Antonio-Gonzales triangle was an additional 230 miles, plus another 80 miles to finally get back home. Grand total = 832 miles. Now that's an ultra-marathon!