This is awesome.... outstanding!!

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"if you chose it, it's not really pain"

That's outstanding news John. I was honestly wondering if Jenny and/or Cara would be willing to partake in the event. It is going to be a memorable day, to say the least.

I just realized that this is the Canadian Long weekend and my son and I will be racing the local sprint tri on Saturday. This means I need to finish that event, get the family home, drive 6.5 hours to New Platz and get my act together for the Chris G event. It's almost like Chris has a conspiracy plan to make sure that every second of my life is filled to "Formula 1 Capacity", which is like he lived anyway. Its not quite the Harriman+Chris G F1 stupidity challenge, but stupid enough that I might just have shuffle through the entire Chris G F1 and save myself for the 400m sprint "event within the event".

I'm going to work on the various studs/posers/hangers on to try to make this trek. At least the 6 hours of racing matches the 6 hours one way drive.

It sounded as though both Jenny and Cara would entertain the idea of participating (but I certainly don't want to put words in anyone's mouth). Whether they choose to or not is merely a formality. I have no doubt that they are both strong enough to crush it.

What a fitting tribute. Big thanks to JM for putting this together.

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

I've read this thread every day and as a middle-aged, amateur athlete with several young kids have had many conflicting thoughts. But one thing no one could question: Chris had a great family and supremely loyal friends. Any of us would be proud to say the same. You guys are going to share a lot of wonderful memories and shed some tears at Am Zof this year. A lot of us will be thinking about you. Phil

At least you won't be on the dreaded tapered list.
Plan on a homestay with us.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

This is fantastic news all around.

A fellow Slowtwitcher, who is a woodworker, has contacted me about creating the trophy. I find that most fitting.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

Here is Chris's final post on ST: "Now that I think about it a little bit I really like the idea of having white collar folks pay me $150 an hour for bad ass real world "titanium fit metabolic training sessions" [the name is a work in progress] which is like cross fit but way more cutting edge and involves doing things like destroying cement walls with sledge hammers, jackhammering stuff, carrying bags of cement up ladders, digging ditches, carrying scrap metal, unloading heavy stuff off trucks etc. while at the same time making money of the whole deal from the general contractor for having that stuff done. Even though I am sure the panzy office worker types will not be able to do the job nearly as quickly as illegal day workers, the fact that they are paying me hourly to do it makes it a slower the better type senario. To give the "athletes" a more badass grit type feel I can have them wear work boots and hard hats as well. No need to have a gym, those are for wussies and regardless there are usually active construction sites convenient to most downtown office jobs, right? I mean really, why be "gym fit" or crossfit or even "boot camp fit" when you could be illegal alien day laborer fit? "

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

That would be AWESOME. Truly a fitting tribute
You can see the Pavillion from ~400m out, and it's a surprisingly tough false flat across a rolling meadow.

PS - I love Chris' last ST post.
His humor and insight about how we should all "never take recreational athletics too seriously" were on full display there.

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float , hammer , and jog

You guys are making me want to come out from Colorado and do this race.

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Steve Perkins

That would be AWESOME. Truly a fitting tribute
You can see the Pavillion from ~400m out, and it's a surprisingly tough false flat across a rolling meadow.[/quote]
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Don't forget the slippery wet stairs in the last 3 metres of the race.

Also don't forget the required posing at the finish line.

Oh wait, that's just you...... the rest of us just need to cross & drop :)

That is awesome. I'm glad I got my spot in the race. It will be a special event.

"Also don't forget the required posing at the finish line.

Oh wait, that's just you......"

Not true...I've been ending all of my runs with the "double limp-wristed ML salute" lately so I'll be ready for May...

Fitting John. A very nice tribute.

AmZof is the only race on my 2012 calendar. Even with that, motivation was lacking. No longer.
I won't win, but I'll do my best in honor of Chris. Then, I'll tip a pint to him while thinking of his endearing smile.

May he rest in peace.

... And I will walk up to you and hand you a beer in your (distant) 3rd place mug, while drinking my 2nd Mothers Milk out of my own Big Honkin Stein

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float , hammer , and jog

Further to the G. Chris Gleason trophy, DougRob has generously offered to create it for us.
I can think of nothing more fitting than a fellow STer supplying the trophy.
Here's DougRob's idea for the trophy:
"I have an idea for the trophy. It would include a Tankard at the top to drink from, wooden columns to make it ridiculously elaborate,
an area to put the name of each years winner, AND a place on the front for a laser engraved picture of Chris from the Philly Marathon. "
Spot on, DougRob! Thanks!!!

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

"... And I will walk up to you and hand you a beer in your (distant) 3rd place mug, while drinking my 2nd Mothers Milk out of my own Big Honkin Stein"

If that happens, in true Chris G fashion I will accept the offering and congratulate you on your huge PR for the F-1 distance.

Great idea on the trophy - It might be worth asking Jenny which race picture she would prefer to see. That one could be very painful for her.
Just a thought.

Thanks for the suggestion. I agree.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

Awesome. "Whatever it takes" was something Chris said often, and i know you share that POV, Dev.

I only met Chris very briefly earlier this year at AmZof 2011 and I cannot claim to have known him well enough to have been his friend, unfortunately -- but feeling the impact he had on friends and family through these posts has convinced me to go back and try again. I was on the fence about entering AmZof 2012. The "short" distance race on that rainy-a$$ day and muddy a$$ run last May took all I had to give. Nevertheless, I entered F1 back on Nov-21st even though I'm pretty sure I'm going to curl up in a fetal ball sucking my thumb in some sort of PTSD reaction the next time I go to the preserve. I normally like a nice run in the woods -- hilly or not -- but in pretty short order time I developed a serious dislike for those flim-fargin' trails. "Middle" distance F1 will be a serious stretch for me, but in some odd way I feel compelled to try to honor Chris' dedication to improving as an athlete with my own training in the upcoming months.

To add my own remembrance -- Seeing the photo from the 2010 Syracuse Half with his bloody leg on display brings back vivid memories of my experience on that foggy, wet & chilly September day. After reading Chris' RR, I remember thinking 'What kind of bonehead would be a bad enough cyclist to eat it on that wet RR crossing only a couple miles into the bike?"... but in the end he was still ~10min. quicker than me on the bike and ~12 min. faster on the run with that hamburger hanging off his leg. I'm not sure many people would have continued with ~4 more hours of racing under the same circumstances. I still need to figure out how to arrange my training to get within sniffing distance of the times Chris could put down.

I wish all of Chris' family and friends strength and peace.

Steve

I didn't know him, but I remember reading his IM LP Race report. Very sad news. Best wishes to his family. Rest in Peace.

Will

Hey, thank you so much for renaming the race, America Zof, after Chris! I know Jenny and Cara are so honored and psyched about the renaming of the race. What a tribute!

I know it was one of his favorite races. He would talk about the race all the time. For Chris is was both about the race and the great friends he got to hang out with!

I ran the Philly Marathon and saw a guy with an American Zofingen shirt just in front of me. Just a few hundred yards into the race another runner came up beside him and started talking triathlon and the runner in the AmZof shirt quickly and happily engaged in Ironman conversation with him right at the start of a marathon. Together they chatted and shot ahead into the field. I didn't put two and two together till just now, when I saw that Philly pic posted.

What an amazing tribute to what was clearly an amazing man. May we not take a single day for granted.