Sunday, February 18, 2018

Meego Bingo

Picture by Michelle Bates
I spent my morning with friends again--this time playing Bingo in the woods. No, there were no banjos, but there was a lot of food, running, beer, fireball, and awards for Bingo-ing, and for not Bingo-ing. How can you possible lose with a deal like this?

Mike Rives puts this event on at his property near Skiatook. Here's the deal. Each participant is assigned a Meego Bingo card. As always--the free space is blotted. Then the runner gets two more free spaces and they have the choice if blotting any two spots. Smart blotters will choose two numbers that line up with the free space--leaving only two more numbers to Bingo. Easy--right? Wrong. You have to run a lap to earn another blot. These "laps" are 1.85-ish miles long and on nice single track trailz. (LOVE!!!!!) Fortunately, the bingo balls are sifted through for each runner to make sure they get a blot on their card each time they pass through  the start/finish table--otherwise this might be a 2-3 day event.

As much as I enjoy describing trailz here and there as Relatively Flat, I cannot use these words to describe this course. I did only 4 laps* this year, and made practically zero-progress in getting a Bingo--I obviously had the Bingo card from Hell. Each spike is a lap, and you climb 170' in the first .7 of a mile. Then you have a little over a mile of much more gradual downhill. Each side looks brutal, but the downside is much milder. Runners can, if they choose, run the course in reverse. I did that once, but the steep decline that you have at the end of the lap was a bit more uncomfortable that I preferred.

*Justin Walker ran 15 of these laps!!!


Mike's evil alter-ego is the real one to blame on this sinister hilly course. Meego is to blame for a lot of crazy ideas in running in this part of the world.  Mike describes Meego in great detail HERE.

Everyone got a finishers trophy! I forgot to bring mine home:-( 
Oh, by the way--nice vest Rock Star.
Great awards were given to the first bingo, and to the place where every competitive runner hates to be--4th place. (In most races, 2nd and 3rd place walk away with trophies or medals, and 4th goes home empty handed. Well, the tables are turned at this event.) And for those who had unlimited energy, there was an award for multiple bingos. And my favorite--an award for most laps ran without getting a bingo. (I won this one last year--kind of a Biggest Loser award.)

My race went slow. That first mile that sucks until you get it out of the way--well it hung on and sucked all day. I didn't whine. I love hills. I kept a shuffle or a power-walk all the way to the top, and then shuffled carefully the downhills. I just could not get comfortable stretching it out and increasing my leg turnover. And that's ok. I had fun, took a lot of pictures, and hung out with friends.


Here's another incline snuck in on the downhill part. Well played, Meego--well played.


By the time you reach this pond, it is all flat and/or downhill to the finish line.


Picture by Michelle Bates
Michelle Bates was the card blotter. I tried to bribe her for an extra spot or two on my card, but she's a tough cookie. She did mention that $100 would guarantee a winning card. And would you believe it--I only had 70 bucks on me.

Leaha showed up to just to hang out and catch up with friends, and I talked her into walking a lap with me. I was about to call it a day anyway, but my 4th lap gave me close to eight miles which sounded a lot better than six.


Did I mention I stopped to take a few pictures? I love old abandoned houses, old bridges, and old barns. Torn-up scary dolls are on my list, too.


Picture by Michelle Bates
 Ah the awards. Brandon Plate had the first Bingo. He ran over 15 miles to get it though.
Picture by Michelle Bates
 Jfrank took home the Tough Luck award. I could swear there were two of him running out there. He was knocking out over two laps to my one. And if I am right--I got as many Bingos as he did.


Picture by Michelle Bates
Jwalk scored the Bound and Determined award for those who got more than one Bingo.


Picture by Michelle Bates
Will and Carrie got the team award. Will cooked up a bunch of pulled pork and brisket. The street tacos were superb, and the pulled pork went down well with me in the form of meat shots--a nice pinch of pulled pork in a shot glass of Fireball. For some reason, this grosses people out--but it is awesome. I think if a restaurant offered these as appetizers, they could make a killing.


It was a great day for dogs too. Luna and Taylor were playing and it took 8 quick pics to get one good one. I wish I had brought mine. Roxie would have been good for a couple of laps, and Zeke could have done one.

Everyone had fun. No one got hurt. It seems like the Bingos were a little bit harder to come by this year. Thank you, Mike Rives, for having our friends out to play for a day at your place. If this event happens again, I won't miss it.

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