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closeMichael Peterson handed off the timing chip to his bicycle partner, who passed him something for a job well done – Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
Peterson, a Bellingham resident who was part of the Butterballs reheated squad, said it's a tradition they've tried to get going on all the legs the last few years.
"We decided that to hand over the chip deserved something, such as cheap beer," Peterson said "I thought it was a good trade – I was ready to get rid of that chip."
The run was much hotter than Peterson expected, so he was content cracking open a water bottle while sitting down on the grass, waiting for his ride.
"I don't know if anyone will actually drink the beer today," Peterson said. "But it's a nice thought."
A BIT LIGHTHEADED
Mark Luecke of Bellingham knows a thing or two about running in a costume, so he went with something that may have given the appearance of running on air.
Luecke, running for Thirst Overall, bought some extra-large panty hose, stuffed them with a dozen balloons and wore it on top of his head. He also had 12 long, skinny balloons along the side of his head.
"I always felt if you can't put in a good time, you have to put on a good costume," said Luecke, who draws his inspiration from San Francisco's Bay to Breakers race.
The balloons worked out much better than last year's costume – a long cape. With last year's rainy, windy weather, the soggy cape kept wrapping around his legs.
"This year, it was great – I didn't even have to put a chin strap on," Luecke said. "Even when I was getting passed by the better athletes, I got a few good chuckles. Costumes just make the race more interesting."
LAUGH IT UP, FUZZBALL
Brian Brancheau of Seattle now understands better than most why Wookies aren’t known for their running.
Brancheau was a member of Team Wookie, and he was certainly dressed for the part, wearing a huge fur costume, looking a lot like Chewbacca of Star Wars fame. The problem was that the warmer-than-expected temperatures made running in a woolly costume and mask mighty uncomfortable – and it's never a good idea to have a grumpy Wookie.
Brancheau sucked it up, though, running the first four miles with the mask on and donning it again for the last mile. He also rolled up his costume's legs to get some ventilation. He then handed the chip off to his teammate on the cyclist leg, who was also adorned in a Wookie outfit.
And next year’s costume?
"We'll see how everyone feels, but maybe we'll go with something that breathes a little better," Brancheau said.
COMPLETE LOCAL
Angie Brown had never done a relay race before, but the 34-year-old Sammamish resident wasn’t too concerned about her performance in the running leg of Ski to Sea.
"I'm nervous about how my knees are going to feel after eight miles downhill, but I figure I can't take it that seriously when I'm dressed as a pepper," said Brown, who was sporting a baggy yellow costume designed to resemble a bell pepper.
Each member of the Sustainable Connections Locavores team dressed as a different product, including a cross-country-skiing dairy cow, a downhill-skiing eggplant and two peas in a green-canoe pod.
The team donned the costumes in support of local businesses and growers.
Brown, who runs in other local races, said Sunday's weather made for a unique experience.
"This will definitely be the most beautiful run I've done," she said.
WATER SHORTAGE
The runners had an unusual problem to contend with at the finish line – not enough running water.
A popular cool-down activity after running the eight-mile leg is to take a seat in the nearby ditch, which is usually flowing with ice-cold water. However this year it was much lower than normal – a stark contrast to the rest of the river, where the rushing water forced cancellation of the canoe leg.
Still, there weren't too many complaints from the dozens of runners cooling their heels, so to speak.
"You have to do this soak, or else you won't be able to walk tomorrow," said Cheryl Batty of SSC – Girls Talkin' Trash. "This is one of those races where you can't really train for, so your muscles aren't used to this sort of thing," Batty said.
TAKING IT EASIER
Steve Farrell had his share of Ski to Sea excitement before the race even began. As a manager at Fairhaven Bike and Ski, the last few weeks have been busy with participants looking to gear up.
Farrell, who was running the race for the fourth time, was used to the anticipation as he stretched in preparation Sunday.
"I'm always a little bit nervous," he said. "But I'm not in any hurry this year, so that's good."
Farrell said he chose team "Foo doo fa fa," a less-competitive team, after pushing himself to improve for several years. "Today it's just get down the hill and have a good time, which won't be hard in this weather."
The team took its name from a Flight of the Conchords song, in which the singers ride a tandem bicycle casually, in an attempt to impress women.
"That’s our team," Farrell said. "Just tooling along."
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