Confessions of a Bootlegger

Bootleggers above SF Bay

I admit to being a bit of an event junkie...if memory serves (and let's be clear, sometimes it does NOT), I have been active in running, biking and swimming events since 2006.

Over the years, I have had some great experiences and personal "bests" doing these events and have come to a point where I really enjoy selecting activities that offer a great charity partnership and provide lots of support to both the community and the participants.

Since I've started up on the events, I have been fortunate enough to find some great friends to do these activities with, between both groups of MIMs (Moms in Motion and Ministry in Motion), I have met and completed events with a gaggle of fun people.

All of this context leads to a confession - for the first time ever, I was an event bootlegger...I wasn't formally signed up and registered for an event, but I did it anyway.  Worse still, I dragged Elizabeth into this seamy underworld of unspoken and unappreciated participation, for I guided her through the process!

Here's what happened - Nike Women's Marathon (NWM) in San Francisco is a SUPER popular event that  has about 25,000 participants, mostly women, running through the streets of San Francisco from Union Square to the "Great Highway".  It has become increasingly more difficult to actually get an entry each year, with most people relegated to crossed fingers for acceptance via a lottery system.  It was quite disappointing to be informed that the MIMs were NOT accepted this year, especially after I had already booked a flight and room reservation.

Holding out hope that there would be a way to get in, I kept the reservations and talked the event up to Elizabeth; we were psyched and ready to do it...but still, no official entry!  After discussing our options, I offered the one thing that is typically frowned upon in the event community...we could "bootleg" the event, leaving from Union Square and running down to the Embarcadero (parallel for about a mile and a half, until we merged together at the Ferry Building).  We trotted along with everyone else until we hit the 1/2 way point - a great outlook over the bay pictured above...and then we turned around and ran back to the hotel on our own!

It sounds like a good plan (and actually, was rather lovely for us), but I am well aware on why this is frowned upon...it potentially takes away from resources for those runners who have actually paid to do the event!  For the record, we were completely self-sustainable with water, snacks and even our own chocolate for the famed "chocolate mile" (which I hear was discontinued this year, glad we got to enjoy our extended chocolate mile with hot chocolate from a stop at Ghiradelli on the way back!). We did use the porta-potty at mile 6.5 or so, but there were no lines and short of the spot of hand sanitizer we used, I'd say that we were pretty neutral in the footprint for resources that we used.  While we got to enjoy the experience, we did not get the bragging rights of the technical t-shirt or the coveted Tiffany necklace.

I feel better to have this confession off of my chest. It is not intended to be a habit and in fact we are signed up (and PAID) for an event later this month - the Fishbowl 1/2 Marathon, benefiting Caring S.H.O.S. (students helping other students).  Being a bootlegger is not a regular practice but I will admit, we had a fun weekend in San Francisco and the 13.1 miles completed, whether "official" or not were legit all the way!