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.
