Brian Greeley

Highland Sky 40

June 16, 2012

I tried to get Brian to let us videotape him rapping this in the sweater vest he won so we could post that, but he respectfully declined:

Here’s a little story I got to tell

About a bearded man you may know so well

June 16th is when this race went down

A forty miler in a West Virginia town

The race begins nice and early

The weather is cool and my hair is curly

Down a gravel road we all trot

Running from the starting point: a scenic parking lot

A sharp left turn puts the runners in grass

Past the first aid station, get some water for your butt

We gradually climb, going up and up

Through the muddy patches and thistles clumps

As a group of five, we reach the top

The pace is comfortable but then there’s a stop

All of the sudden Aaron loses his shoe

A common casualty to the muddy glue

Now here’s the thing about these long trail races

A lot of things happen, but I forget the traces

I’m going to fast-forward near mile twenty

It’s the aid station and the road is long and plenty

Hard packed gravel comprises this road

Surely not an ideal transportation mode

Ahead, fellow runners tackle mounds oh so high

They curse the beautiful section, ‘The road across the sky’

Back on the trail things feel surprisingly good

This unique section of the sods has no overhanging wood

From rock to rock on tired legs I hop

My water is gone, now I beg to stop

The last true trail section eagerly awaits

And with Martha in tow the pain finally abates

On we run past bikers and horses

Down gnarly steep hills and up sheer ski courses

It felt like time stood still as we ran on the road

Frankly it was terrible but I bore the load

Many expletives did make their way out

Save at aid stations where someone might have clout

Onward to the finish did we push

At this juncture my legs were simply mush

But alas there it is, the finish line ahead

It’s over, and to my surprise I didn’t drop dead

A lot of things must happen behind the scenes

To make a race go smoothly and keep everything clean

I must thank the volunteers, Martha, Aaron, Dan, & Kerry

Without everyone’s help this race would be quite hairy,

So thank you all, indeed it was a lovely trot!

Next year when I’m in Michigan, I’ll sure miss you a lot.