Sareybabes says:

You're my hero Spudhead, I love the one about the tape - they shoulda let you break it my friend!

 Jim_W says:

I remember my first 10km race being overtaken by several parents pushing prams!

It never ceases to amaze me the inventive and funny costumes people come up with for races. In the City to Surf in Sydney a few weeks ago I saw a bunch of guys who painted themselves blue and dressed as 'smurfs'; a group of star wars stormtroopers running with a CD player blaring out the 'imperial march' from the star wars soundtrack; a 'tool set' with a group of people dressed seperately as a hammer, screw driver, spanner and pliers; a pair of girls wearing inflatable sumo wrestler 'fat suits' and any number of novelty suits including frogs, koalas, teddy bears etc. Go figure!

 Ginger8 says:

During an October race (in the rain) on the Ocean City, MD boardwalk, I was passed and beaten by a group of 3 or 4 men wearing only Speedos, Tube Socks, and running shoes !

 Chronic says:

During my first 10k which was a turkey trot in Detroit, I was passed 20 ft from the finish line by 3 bubbly little girls in pink leotards, pink angel wings and glittery halos. I ran with all my might to pass them before the finish. It must of been obvious because a small section of the crowd began to laugh.

 lucubratrix says:

In my first 5k, I got passed by a runner with a PUG. The pug was a rather tubby specimen of its breed, and also, it was on an uphill stretch. I will always remember that tiny rotund little animal booking it up the hill!

 PotatoHead says:

I can put up with a lot, but if I ever get beat by my fat Basset Hound, that will be the end of running for me!

 Daz999 says:

Every picture ever taken of me in any race shows my close proximity to an elderly runner. Usually they are passing me. At the time I think, 'I hope I'm still running that fast when I'm 83.' Later I think, 'I wish I was running that fast right now.'

My neighbor decided to run the local 10k that I'd been running for years. He's seen me running past his house. He said to me, "You're not a REAL runner are you?" It's a spring run and I usually finish in just under an hour. He ran 8min/miles in blue jeans. No training.

 Daz999 says:

NOTE: My avatar over there? I 'photoshopped' the oldster out of the picture for dramatic effect.

 PotatoHead says:

OK, here's another (slightly exaggerated) example of a humbling Jog Log posted by any number of people around here:

"Tough run today. I haven't slept in 12 days, I just developed blindness, and I have a 104-degree fever. But even though my doctor advised against it, I put a pair of extra-large running shoes over my two leg casts and went out running in the 2 feet of snow that fell overnight. I felt awful; I have never run so slow in my life. Along the way, though, I encountered three long-lost friends, and we walked over to the coffee shop and spent a few carefree hours reminiscing. Unfortunately, I forgot to switch off my iPod, so it kept logging the whole time I was sitting there. And then when I left the coffee shop, a huge dog came by and ripped off my left leg, so I had to crawl four miles home. Oh yeah, it started to sleet, so I was crawling uphill on sheer ice the whole way."

And then I look at the chart -- and the overall pace is equal to a PotatoHead pace on a good day!

 Ginger8 says:

Wow. We are some real whiners, huh? Laughing so hard I almost fell off my chair.

You forgot about the part where, at the coffee shop, I dropped the large (is that grande or vente?) cup of scalding coffee in my lap and my running shorts went up in flames. The ambulance came to pick me up, but ran out of gas halfway to the hospital so I had to get out and help push (at this point, I was glad ipod was still on). After a quick skin graft, I headed back to the coffee shop to rejoin my friends which is when I encountered that dog.   

Smiles....

 flipya says:

..and when I got home I realized the darn coffee must have leaked into my Nike+ (erasing the red dot and voiding my warranty) and caused it to lose my run. So I had to do it all over again to get my pace data right . . .

 beerRahn says:

...and what was waiting for me at home? A lawyer from Apple, because they're trying to sue me for not using Nike shoes (which is what the device is designed for). Luckily, I made it out the back door and ran away down the street before I could be served. Look for that to be in my log tomorrow.

 petergarner says:

I consider myself a pretty good runner. I've worked hard over the last couple of years to improve my pace and endurance, and I pass other runners much more often than I am passed. But on this particular occasion, a slower runner passed me...

I went out for an easy 5k this morning to work on my form. Just before the half way point, the gravel bike path ends and a sort of rough walkin trail continues on. I was planning on running a block of this trail and turning around to come back. About 200 metres before turning around, I passed a slower runner and...

tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground, falling down hard about 3 metres in front of her.

The only thing seriously hurt was my pride, but I guess I needed some serious humbling! She was very concerned and was nice enough to make sure I was OK, before, ahem, continuing on her way, while I dusted myself off and managed to jog home, feeling very much the silly hare watching the tortoise trundle by.

 David121 says:

Several years ago I ran my favorite half marathon. It's the Eastern Oregon Half Marathon in Spray Oregon. I had a pretty bad day and faded after about mile ten. The next year I wasn't able to go back, but several of my buddies did return for the run. When they got back they were all so excited to show me a poster they had snagged from a light pole advertising the run. The poster featured a photo of a group of runners including me and several "older" and "heavier" runners. I was in pretty good shape then, but It was a bit embarrasing knowing that posters had been plastered all over town. I'm always in awe of those "older" runners who somehow seem to show up near the finish, just chugging along at their steady, and not so slow, pace. I can only hope that when I reach that age I'm still running... and still having the time of my life.

 Farley says:

Being walked past by power walking types is always a chuckle.

 RunnerGirl77 says:

LOL! Farley, you just named one of the things that drove me during the Niagara Falls Half Marathon. There was this racewalker who was nearby for miles 7 through 10. The LAST thing that I wanted to do was to finish BEHIND a racewalker (even though we have have a former Olympiad racewalker who lives in this area).