Dear Trail Mix-up Entrant,
Firstly, I wish you and all your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving. I
hope your Thanksgiving plans are much more simplified than mine. Good
thing I have push pins.
I also want thank all of you for your interest in the Fat Ass
Trail Mix-up 30K/50K. I noticed many entries were Broadway
Ultra Society (BUS) newcomers and I welcome you to be part of our madcap family
on December 21.
But I’m mainly writing to say that I have some bad
news and some good news.
First, the BAD news.
The Trail Mix-up on December 21 will not be held at Forest Park. I
seemed to encounter a phenomenon that defied all imagination. It was
called a grouchy Parks Manager. This person seemed not to be an ultra
fan. She gave the indication to be against everything. I think in
her next life she will be coming back as a member of the Tea Party or a theater
critic. I tried to convey what an ultra event is about. But our
Parks friend had trouble with a few criteria like bib numbers, having tables,
the tents, intersecting the bridle paths ( I think she meant equine), running
on the sidewalk, having water at the aid station and just being near the track
area. Something about one of us being hit with a
speeding soccer ball or stud missile. I am being facetious of
course……………………….well
maybe not totally? The meeting was a very difficult hour.
What made it even more difficult was that it was just held last Friday,
November 21. It seemed apparent that was the idea, not giving enough time
to file a response.
I’m not going to lie but I came away agitated,
frustrated and rejected. Reminded me when they got my order wrong at the Shake
Shack. I then discussed the matter with Tim Ryan of New York
Ultra Running (NYUR) how to salvage the event. Tim suggested we should
try to find another venue. I made a few calls to other Parks’
contacts and thankfully they were very helpful.
The GOOD news.
The Fat Ass Trail Mix-up is still ON and will be held on Sunday, December 21 stating at 9:00 AM.
But the location will be Alley Pond Park in Eastern
Queens. The staging area will not be at the Tennis House like
the previous two BUS events, but at the Alley Picnic area. It is also the
location of the Alley
Pond Adventure
Center. This
location is easy to reach by car and mass transit entrants can take a short
LIRR ride from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Woodside or Jamaica to the Queens Village
station and will be transported to the site. Another way there is the IND subway and the Union
Turnpike bus.
The trail mix-up format (two distinct loops) will still be
conducted depending on weather and/or course conditions. But please note
that trail network in Alley Pond Park is
not Forest Park, but this “pinch
hitter” will still appeal to your liking. I have been able to link
together a continuing trail stretch of 2 miles and will connect with some paved paths
to form the 30-kilometer loop or morning loop. The remaining 20K will be
solely on a combination of paved paths to complete 50 kilometers.
Because of the Holiday week, I have not been
able to “meet” with Parks regarding the new venue about its
corresponding logistics. Hence, I cannot relay at this time the exact
distances of each loop. But I think the first loop with the trails will
be somewhere between 3 and 4
miles. The paved loop will range around 4 kilometers to 5K .
Though there has not been an official bureaucratic meeting,
there has been a series of e-mails claiming that most of our needs will be
provided. One such request was being allowed to erect a 20X30 tent for
shelter for all of us.
I realize many of you coveted to run the Forest Park trails and probably are disappointed. I apologize
the inconvenience. But BUS will do their best with this alternative to
supply a good ultra experience. I would appreciate your cooperation and
understanding. I will be back in touch with more details as I know them.
Meanwhile, enjoy your holiday week and hope to see you next
month.
Take care & cheers,
Richie Innamorato
Broadway Ultra Society