While I had attended a handful (a small hand) of cross country meets for my sister, I had never gone to a track meet before. Enter the 20th New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on the wrong side of the tracks. In tow was a Rhode Island track kid to explain the intricacies of track itself. To let us know we were on the wrong side, a car full of kids screaming 'penis!' and that will always be funny to me.
The heir apparent to Kara Goucher as my runner crush is Katie Hoaldridge (UT product) who I saw walking by, unsure it was her since I am conditioned through the major 4 sports that athletes have an entourage surrounding them at all times.
We got to the track real early and as a small venue in comparison to TD Bank, there wasn't a bad seat in the house. Athletes were warming up, going through the motions, and doing every plyometric known to man. The pole vaulters either exaggerated their movements or flowed as if it were ballet, then went stiff as a board at the apex of the pole vaulting. The high jumpers ran at odd angles up to the bar.
The racing was totally worth attending. There were 5 meet records and 2 world records (2k and masters 3k). Notables were La Salle Academy winning their relay on a furious last 400 by my friend's running buddy and Brenda Martinez with a hell of a finish to win the distance medley. What was great was the commentary by my friend, what the runners needed for each lap to break records, when runners were gonna go and try to win, back stories (Will Leer being the only sub 4 miler in Rhode Island and a bro for signing and selfie-ing with the fans), and personal asides as these were guys running collegiately at the same time.
Best reaction: after a heat for the 60m dash, one of the dashers walks back, stops, pukes near the track, then shrugs his shoulders.
Worst reaction to the best reaction: that happened at 5, we left at 8 and no one cleaned it up. Gross.
Cool idea: Jenny Simpson, Brenda Martinez, and Emma Coburn heads on a stick to cheer em on. No Meb? That's sexist
