OK my Disclaimer – I am not as creative as Tool. No babystroller with a speaker. No bead burpees. Tool is the man. This is a no frills, no extras run.
The plan: Run down St Charles Ave in the valley of the ladders aka the Trench. Not Angie List’s trench. That is a totally different Trench. You don’t want any of that TRENCH.
Brown Bag picked me up at 545am. On the way out the door we had our first strange encounter. A guy and a girls laughing or crying or fighting. Brown Bag and I made sure they were OK and we discovered she was crying because she was wasted and lost her cellphone.
Then we moseyed down Napoleon to the launch site at Napoleon and St Charles. On our mosey Brown Bag informed me that in Jan and Feb of 2019 Urban South has sold more beer than their first 9 months! #tclaps Also got offers of beer , and the quote of the leg “i will drink for you, you run for me!”
At NAP and ST CHUCK we assembled the Xwings for a serious trench run. A motley crew of men ready for the 5.5 mile Gnarly Nutria training run. Angie’s List was taking pics of the 80 yr old sleeping on the corner guarding her spot. It was a truly gloomy – gloom.
First leg Napoleon to Louisiana – this is where the run gets its name. Lots of people protecting their spot. Ladders wall to wall on both sides of the route. You really do feel like you are running a trench.
Second leg Louisiana to Jackson – things thin out – you could get a spot if you wanted one – apparently we saw Willie’s crew setting up their ladders for him. Let me say again that Willie was not setting up his ladders – a crew was doing it FOR #Willie. Could be Gabrielle and Mudbug just messing with Willy. This is the trophy table guys leg. They heckled us hard. Tclaps to Gabrielle for the hard e-headlock.
Third leg from Jackson to the Circle formerly known as Lee. Tool and Hokey hit the circle and started back to Napoleon. Things really really thin out here. One person chilling per block. I learned here that Tool is a weed smelling expert.
Fourth leg from the circle to Poydras – uneventful – the bleacher trenches. At Poydras we turned around. I am thinking next year we might push it through the quarter to Esplanade then back. On the circle back leg 5 – a Mazerati tried to impress us, then Voodoo had beads stuck in his shoes, then a guy stumbling back to his hotel looking for the Holiday Inn express he ran two blocks with us in jeans and a pink oxford shirt. LOL. The highlight of this leg was being behind the porta-potty emptying truck. I am still gagging on the smell of that – it was awful. Like running behind El Wire or Seaman.
Leg 5 was the Circle to Jackson. More weed, more drunk kids, more sleeping people on the route.
Leg 6 Jackson to Louisiana – just wanted to finish now – ran past the trophy crew again. Still getting rowdy.
Leg 7 Louisiana to Napoleon – back in the trenches. Lots more people coming out of the wood work. Caught up with Tool and Hokie.
We circled up – 12 pax and closed with a prayer. Angie’s List said it best – there is no way I would have got up today to run without the PAX making it easy to be out there together. It was a gloomy Sunday! #HailThoth #HailBacchus #HailMid-City #HailOkeanos