Prelude to Craziness:

When "g" was passed over by the NYC Marathon lottery in the spring of 2006, he considered an alternative run for November: the JFK 50M in MD. Of course, he had never run 50 miles... or, 40 miles... or, 30 miles. But! With the Damn Wakely Dam Ultra (32 miles) nearing in July on his birthday... he would surely get the chance to test his ultra stamina before committing to a 50 miler.

Yes. There were those naysayers who smiled and shook their heads at the thought of "g" running 32 mile at the DWD ultra. But, 50 miles? Therapist, heal thy self, mused the many.

Yes. Fast John and "g" did finish (in great form) the Damn, Wakely Dam on July 22nd of '06. They were now considered ultra-ized. To which, and without hesitation, "g" immediately signed up for the JFK 50M. And... Fast John? Well, he wasn't too sure about this 50-mile-thing. Although, like the Wakely, he had a 50-miler on his to-do adventure list as a training prerequisite for running his first triathlon in the summer of '08. So, why not a 50 miler now?

With the JFK scheduled for mid-November, Fast John's last minute commitment to the race occurred in September. The Boys with Ultra Sole were in!

Make no mistake about it. The Boys with Ultra Sole were well read on the subject of ultras, training, nutrition... and the JFK 50M course! However, as we all know, there's a huge difference between being well read and well experienced. It's at this intersection of the two where reality emerges... the actual experience! And so, Fast John and "g" spent many hours trying to define that intersection... that look into the future to know exactly what to expect on the course with it's varied terrain-legs... to bridge the space between anticipation and reality was impossible... an exercise in futility... the elusive brass ring (oh, you get what we mean). They would eventually have to settle for being informed and simply live the dream as it unfolded before them. (Cool. Very cool. Like a real adventure!)

In the mean time, "g" had been busy recruiting a support team to assist them along the course. After all, if it's good enough for Pam Reed... why not The Boys with Ultra Sole? So... "g" called upon his brother... RB One Kenobi (Jedi Knight):

RB: What? Your Doin' what? "g": Yea... Fast John and I have a death wish thing goin' on. RB: Do I have to run? "g": No... you just have to feed us Gatorade and carb. gels at the aid stations and keep us moving by whacking us with a big stick when we drop from exhaustion. RB: Cool. I can do that! Whacking is good! I'm in.

RB: The emotional and spiritual backbone of the Jogging LaBellas

So, ladies and gentlemen, the JFK 50M Team was in place. The Boys with Ultra Sole would get race day support from RB One Kenobi (Jedi Knight). And... oh my gosh... they even recruited sponsors! Yes-sir-e-Bob. They had roped into the madness the intergalactic engineering corporation of Minerva Engineering and the 3W's cyber space internet cowboy G-WeBconnect.