State Fair Round 1
Today Emily and I made our first sortie to the Minnesota State Fair. This time we both ran in the Milk Run, which is a 5k the State Fair hosts each year. For $18, you get to run in the race, get admission to the fair, a coupon for a free milkshake, and $1 off coffee from the farmers' union stand at the fair.
If you click here you will see I came in third place for the men (one woman did beat me, so I got fourth overall). This is significant because I got a huge 3rd place ribbon. Growing up my sister got these huge ribbons for showing her horse. She would come home from horse shoes with a dozen ribbons so impractically big, just one 7th place could cover a table for 12 on its own.
And now, over 20 years later, I finally won one of those ribbons my sister got on a weekly basis as a kid. But mercifully, to win this ribbon, I didn't have to put my life in the hands of a half ton beast with half the IQ of my dog. Instead I just had to run around St. Paul in oxygen debt for a little while, which for me is a much more pleasant choice than riding around in a circle on a horse wearing my formal suit.
So I knew I had a ribbon coming to me, which prompted Emily to say (jokingly) that she was still ahead of me in the State Fair ribbon contest becuase she has RED 2nd place ribbon for a mosaic she entered into last year's fair. I tried to impress upon her the ENORMITY of my white ribbon, but she was unimpressed. A third place ribbon, even if it's the Hummer of 3rd place ribbons, is still inferior to the tiniest of second place ribbons.
But then things got interesting. They began giving out prizes for age-group winners at the Milk Run, and I got to double-dip. This means I got a ribbon for 3rd overall male and 2nd place for the 30-34 year old age group. That means I got a small red ribbon as well. I also got $50 worth of gift certificates to running stores. Last year Emily won $4 for her mosaic.
So I think that puts me ahead, for now, in our household competition for Most Crap Won at the Minnesota State Fair.
Another highlight occured before the race even began. I was talking to a friend of mine who was wicked hungover, but still planning on running. He had about three synapses firing an hour as he tried to stretch out. Then the State Fair mascot, Fairchild, came up behind and mirrored his stretching, mocking him.
My friend saw this and said, "It doesn't get any lower than being mocked by a mascot does it?"
I pointed out to him that Fairchild had a race number and it actually would be quite a bit lower to beat by the mascot in a 5k. Fairchild ended up running a respectable 31:00 5k (respectable only because he was wearing a freaking gopher costume), and my friend was safely 10+ minutes of the mocking mascot. Take that Fairchild!
Emily also ran a great race, and afterwards said she loved doing the Milk Run. This is significant, because as we were driving to the fair she wondered how she could have ever thought registering for this race was a good ideq and predicted just how much the 5k would suck. Keep in mind, this was coming from Minnesota's #1 State Fair fan. Now I fear she'll whip herself into shape and come home with ribbons for mosaics AND running. Then I'm doomed.
