Big long thing number 175 complete at the Flying Monkey Marathon. For those unfamiliar with the Flying Monkey Marathon it is a fundraiser for the eradication of a dangerous invasive species of flying monkey found in the Warner Park system in Nashville Tennessee. This is my third monkey and as I am wont to do I wore camouflage again to shield myself from potential monkey attack. In this case a furry monkey onesie. To answer the question I received 179 times on the course: yes, it was hot. Lately I have found I tend to beat myself up a lot after races for not performing as well as I think I could have/should have. As usual the monkey was a great experience for me, a reminder of why I do this: the friendships, experience, and the beer. Also, it’s incredibly hard to take yourself too seriously when you’re dressed like a freaking monkey. Fun fact: The City of Nashville was named for a revolutionary war general Francis Nash, an ancestor of poet and Harvard dropout Ogden Nash.
Monkeying around pre-race.
50 State club officer Dave Bell just came back from the JFK 50, which I missed because I am a tardy fool
Imagine my surprise to see a South Florida amigo Cindi here!
Why, Mister Race Director, are you trying to seduce me? Nah, he’s just showin’ off his sexy Monkey socks for finishers. No worries, Jim Diego. I got you a pair as my 50 state finisher gift for you.
Race Director Trent Rosenbloom is out on the course making sure all the new hills brought in for this year are in the correct places.
My God. Isn’t it awful? How do people live here?
I managed to catch up to these lovely ladies.
The infamous mile 8 marker.
Pokemon theme this year. Nice costumes ladies.
My precious…
It’s like a wasteland I tell ya.
One of the rare downhills, that or maybe I took it laying on the ground. Who knows, really?
The Warner Parks are a beautiful place to get lost.
The puppy says “I want a pony!”
View from the top of one of the many, many hills. My garmin says I climbed 227 floors. Ha!
Somebody made the flying monkey pokemon themed cake. At the monkey participants bring a dish. It’s like a family potluck, only if your family were a bunch of people stupid enough to sign up for this race. 🙂
Every year there’s a custom Hatch Show Print made for the race, and this one that is perennial. Proceeds go to the Warner Parks.
The monkey is probably one of the most swagalicious races I’ve ever participated in. Flying Monkey Socks in your finisher swag among many other items.
Every year a themed silicone pint glass for your post-race beer. Suitable for home use.
Handmade Flying Monkey Medals for finishers.
A short sleeved cotton participant shirt as well. We chose teams at registration. The correct answer was Macaque. Nobody touches macaque.
Customized shirts for participants with your name and year of participation. Note the number of previous monkey kills (completions of this race) on the sleeve. Of particular note is that I’m not a big repeater of races. There’s just a million I want to do, but the monkey is the only race outside of my home state I’ve done thrice.
