COLUMBIA, MARYLAND
First, the name. The “Booty Loop” is an area in Charlotte, NC in the Myers Park neighborhood where a number of fit people, runners and cyclists, go to exercise. Or maybe look at booty.
A fundraiser for cancer, the 24 Hours of Booty started some 10 years ago with loops around the neighborhood. Someone else can check my facts, but this is pretty close.
Five years ago, it came to Columbia, Maryland, then to Atlanta (or maybe that was before Columbia) and this year, to Indianapolis. Again, check my facts.
Each event is a 24-hour event and benefits the national beneficiary – the Lance Armstrong Foundation (Livestrong). Each also benefits a local charity.
I was asked to ride for Team BootyStrong by Bryan McMillan. And so I accepted the invitation.
Arriving at registration, I made a “Memory bib” for Jake the Hero Grecco and asked a volunteer to write his name on my legs. I then took my position at the front of the group as survivors were asked to come up front to lead out the Survivor Lap. Survivorship has its privileges.
There was a DJ who introduced Basil Lyberg, Executive Director of 24 Hours, who gave short remarks. After the National Anthem, we were off.
I hadn’t been on this 2.1-mile loop before and had no idea where we were going, but followed one or two guys in front. After 1.5 miles and a slight downhill, I could see the Start/Finish banner, which had a half mile uphill “climb,” about a 4% grade. Here, I took off just enough to be the first to complete the first lap.
I soon started catching people — lapping them — and almost immediately I saw Kevin Barnett, one of the Team San Francisco riders. Kevin and I rode together for a while, but eventually I accidentally pulled away. But then I caught Patrick Sheridan.
Patrick, or Kevin, and I rode together most of the day. I also rode with Liz Kaplan, a 2011 alum of Team Seattle.
I had decided I would do 20-mile loops, 10 laps, and keep fresh. I stopped at 20, 40, and 60 miles. At 80 miles, I pulled over for dinner,r then turned on the front light that I had borrowed to ride at night. For the next 10 laps, I rode with Kelsey Jones, also a cancer survivor.
I also surpassed the 5,000-mile mark for the year, the earliest that I have ever hit 5,000 miles. Well, it was only the second time, and that was two years ago in late November.
After 120 miles, just before midnight, the light went out, and so I pulled off and went to the midnight pizza party. With no front light, I called it a night and checked into a hotel (even though it was primarily a camping event).
And I’m glad I did. A violent storm came through, and the course was closed for safety. After a short night’s sleep and another morning storm, I came back and discovered my friends had left. I couldn’t blame them. But I found another friend, and we rode for 25 miles. Then lunch. Then another 22 miles.
Although there were few people left at 2:00 p.m. I thought it was appropriate that I ride the last lap as well as the first. And we swept up any riders on course so that eight of us finished together. In a storm.
I was first, and I was last.
Just as we finished, the sky opened up, and it became a matter of getting to the car safely.
After the 24 Hours I got home and signed up to do it again next year — this time riding for Jake’s Snazzy Pistols.
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