Thanks for sharing Mike, Keith and Dev. The morning run was a great idea. I'm sure it was a bonding experience and cathartic at the same time. Glad you made it home safely Dev, after your 24 hour roundtrip Epicman Driving Adventure from Ottawa.

Very cool, guys....

OK, on behalf of ChrisG, who is going to make Murphy's Law cry at AmZof and Savageman. Even Dave Scott could not make ML cry at Savageman!

AmZof F-1 will be the ultimate smack down in memory of Chris. I'm gunning for ML. Whoever wins, I'm certain they'll be doing it for Chris.
And, although only 1 will win, we'll ALL hoist big honkin' steins in his memory.

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

and plastic martini glasses :D

What about naming it "The G. Chris Gleason Formula 1 Duathlon at American Zofingen".

Every aspect of Chris' life was formula 1.....we could ask Jenny and Cara what they think ...assuming Tetsuoni has not already sold marketing rights for the current name to Timex/Rolex/Tag Heuer....

Dev

Another thought would be to have a perpetual trophy in his honor where the winner's name is engraved each year, so people would be competing in the F1 for the Gleason Trophy. Obviously, it would have to be some sort of appropriate drinking vessel. During the year it could be displayed prominently in tetsuoni's store or some appropriate venue.

x2

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

I have to say that I have been coming back to this tribute thread each day since I heard the news. I didn't know Chris except through his posts on ST, but the stories here have not only brought me to tears at times, but have prompted a smile or two, as well. Chris obviously had a knack for surrounding himself with an incredible group of people. I can't imagine the impact this loss is having on his family and all of his friends...as many of you are. It must feel devastating and surreal at the same time.

But...what a wonderful way to celebrate the friendship and connections he made with others. I can only imagine that this kind of remembrance will be cherished by those close to him - these stories of the positive impact Chris had on various individuals whether it was inspiration that came from a post on ST or EN, or whether it was a kick-in-the-butt, a little smack-talk, a competition between friends, or whether it was what seems to be, his natural way of taking people under his wing and helping them find the courage to achieve their goals.

My guess is he'll be forever sitting on your shoulder, pushing you to do your best.
To all those who knew Chris, thank you for sharing him with the rest of us.

Indeed, Chris has been known to hoist those on occasion, not that we'll ever be handing those out as prizes.

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

I'm glad I got my spot in the '12 F1 locked up. It's going to be a special one.

It is my intention to rename the F1 in honor of Chris, in perpetuity, if that is in keeping with the wishes of his wife.
The F1 has become our most popular distance and format. Much like how incredibly popular Chris has always been here on ST, and beyond.
I know directly from Chris how much he enjoyed the race, both on the course and at the after party. I take no small pride that he chose to wear our shirt for the Philly marathon. Sadly, it proved to be his final race. His racing days may be over, but his memory will live on.
And, don't think for a moment that he won't be heckling us from above.
Speaking of which, we'd sure like to have you toe the line in 2012, Dev.

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

John,

After experiencing the gawd awfulness of the F1 last year, I swore off of it. But, given the recent events, please change my entry to The GCG F1 Challenge (or whatever it will be called). I may not win, but I am supremely motivated to crush as many dreams as possible. No matter what, it will be a beautiful day!!! BTW... I told my good friend Chris Wilhelm (the guy that broke his chain on the bike and decided to do 3 more run loops after hitching a ride back to transition last year) that he had to change his entry as well. If he hasn't already contacted you...change it anyway. It will be my gift to him...which could end our 20 year friendship ;)

Keith

P.S. I suggest some of the others entered in the canadian women's event step up as well. Honestly, don't worry about the third run. It's really not that bad...you'll be walking half of it!

Exactly.
Tommy Keegan, AmZof's generous beer sponsor since year 1, created the Keegan Cup several years ago for the local St. Paddy's day 2 miler.
To win it, you must finish the race, then run to where they're serving the beer. First to down his/her beer wins the cup for a year, which is kept at the brewery with the holder's name on it. The cup holder is entitled to a daily free pint for a year. Of course, to receive the free pint, it must be drunk from the cup.
The cup is basically an old bowling trophy with the little plastic dude replaced by a pint glass. This will be our model.
Slainte!

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

Tetsuoni. Yes, I plan to be there in 2012 for the G. Chris Gleason F1 at AZ. If I can't race by then, I'll come down and volunteer. I'm hoping that my motor control issues in my left leg have cleared up by then and I can actually run on things other than roads and treadmills without rolling my ankle and I can keep control over my left leg when biking. Fingers crossed that all of this clears up. By the way, do I qualify for the Canadian womens division or do I need to step up into the main event? Let me see if I can drum up some other characters from this end. Maybe if I can get Rick Hellard out, then we'll get a massive crew like for Savageman :-)

If only we could add a non-wetsuit swim to the F-1. That'd start to approach a fitting tribute to Chris.
That'd give you a better shot at the GCG cup as well ;-)
It'd sure sink (pun intended) Murphy's chances.

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

Don't you have an endless pool you can plunk down....better yet, replace the middle run with a swim....

Dev, the last thing I want to do is hijack this thread.
Chris's racing was so much more than AmZof, and his life was so much more than racing.
Having said that, it will be great to have you at AmZof in whatever capacity works best for you, be it designated heckler, Canadian woman, appletini server or a real F-1 stud, like Chris.
I can say that after my year off from racing, Chris has completely inspired me to grab 2012 (and beyond) by the throat.

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

So this thread, and Chris' spirit have me just about ready to pull the trigger on AmZof. I am sure I will be doing something between a crawl and hobble by the third run - with Chris looking down laughing the whole time.

He'll be laughing with you, never at you.
Then he'll buy you a pint.

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

Glad I entered my namesake race last August because I have a feeling the 250 total spots are going to be sold out very soon.

At the time, I entered just so I could lock down my spot but I really doubted I would be there since it is on our Victoria Day weekend....... but I have explained to Rocket Man about the posse of ST men who will need a couple of Canadian Womens to serve them courage in a plastic glass once they cross the F-1 finish line and he gave me the long-weekend pass. So Kathy & Cathy will be there to toast to Chris and catch the undertrained masses as they try to do what Chris did last year.....1st place in his AG and the biggest size stein prize.

(I will bring down a case of plastic martini glasses, don't you worry about that Tetsuoni)

Tetsuoni, not only did he wear the shirt on race day, but as the gun went off, he smiled and said to me "bet I'm the only one wearing an AmZof shirt here today!" and regaled me with stories of doing a 9 minute mile... on the bike!

To say there wasn't a dry eye when Ashley read that prayer is the understatement of the millenium. I'm still teary-eyed from it.

Keith, Kevin, Mike, Matt, Dev, and Jean, you guys made a tough time better with so many great stories of Chris. Let's keep them flowing here!

Mike

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M
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'tri or tri not, there is no du' - yoda

After receiving permission from Chris's wife, Jennyfer, and sister, Cara, the American Zofingen F-1 middle distance is now, and forevermore, shall be known as the "G. Chris Gleason Memorial Duathlon". Both Jennyfer and Cara, serious athletes in their own right, have expressed their intent to compete in Chris's place, and honor, next May 20th.

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

This is awesome news. Can you put up a sign with 400m to go saying, "you are running this quarter mile for Chris"

Yes, we can. That's an excellent idea. In fact, if we have enough volunteers, we'll add a prime, timing each finisher's final 400 meters. Fastest sprint to the finish wins the prize.

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