We are seriously kicking ass. We are also running well. Almost an hour ahead of schedule. Van 2 dreaming of breakfast. (posted by Joe)

Rodrigo, describing the experience of running his brutally hilly 8.5-mile leg at sunrise: "I was getting all mystical and shit."

Van 1 almost finished with Round 2. Everyone running faster than expected. For now...

Van 2 currently lacking energy, spunk, and verve following a 2 hour nap. Rodrigo seems nonresponsive to cowbell. Christian up next, which is good, as he is the only Van 2 member who seems ready for the task ahead.

Tom (Flash) finished his 4-mile leg in 20 minutes. Just another day at the office...

Weldon just completed his second leg. Close to 9 miles in 53 minutes. And reports indicate that he was running. Not driving. Running. Seriously.

Van 2 is doing well. We've quickly covered all of Van 1's distance and then some. This is not difficult.

We are now enjoying a nice meal.

Rosie Ruiz Fan Club 4.0

After a late-ish start and a few too many stops in Lowell for 1) more runners, 2) gum, 3) Wendy's Frosties, 4) gas, and 5) a bathroom, we made it to the Indian Head Lodge in Lincoln, New Hampshire. On our way here we passed not far from the beach, prompting several team members to question the whole endeavor. (We quickly dismissed their faulty logic and drove on.)

Seems like just last month we were driving through the dark and rain of New Hampshire in our 15-passenger Rent-a-Wrecks, trying to get to the hotel in time to get some sleep the night before the big race. In fact, it was a full year ago.

This year's version of the Rosie Ruiz Fan Club has six returning members and six newcomers. The new runners are Agata, Alex, Christian, and Liz from the Johnson School at Cornell, Damian from the Cambridge Running Club by way of returning runner Tammy, and Tom, recruited by veteran RRFC runner Weldon.

In addition to Tammy and Weldon, the others back for another round are Rodrigo, Chris, Joe, and our Fearless Captain, Erica. (Barbara Farell was unable to run with us this year and she is missed, as is Matt Spiegel)

We had a pretty good breakfast buffet at the Indian Head Lodge and this morning we will meet to go over some of the basics, (i.e. no headphones, no peeing on the roadside, no wearing headphones while you pee on the roadside, etc.), and then we will pimp out our rides, (pictures to follow), go to Cannon Mountain for the required safety meeting, and start the whole thing all over again.

If you are unsure of what "the whole thing" is, follow this link to learn more about Reach the Beach. Check this space for occasional updates from the road.

http://www.rtbrelay.com/race.php

After breakfast we had time to browse the gift shop at the Indian Head Resort and found the headdress below. We are considering purchasing it and then using it as our baton, passing from one runner to the next through the next 27+ hours. That wouldn't be too offensive to anyone, would it?

Watch this spot! --Chris*

*Although the blog will always say posted by Erica