Scree - May 01, 2011 - Marathon, Films
Country Music Marathon
Yesterday, was the running of the Country Music Marathon under perfect conditions. Nashville had moderate temperatures, low humidity, and perfectly blue skies. It was a great day to be outdoors and for a Marathon.
As soon as I finished writing yesterday's Scree, Jake the dog, and I walked to see the race. The course starts near our house, and remains close for the first few miles as it weaves through neighborhoods. We joined the fun about a mile from the house.
There were lots of participants again this year, as almost 31,000 registered for the event. For comparison, there are about 30,000 residents living in Cookeville, TN. Just think of the whole town walking or running at once! The hoards were amazing.
There were also a diverse bunch of runners. There were serious runners who took the run seriously. Some were fast, some were slow, and some just walked - but all had a set look of determination. There were also folks who were just out there to experience the power of 30,000 folks moving together. They were social runners/walkers. They laughed and had fun. They interacted with those of us watching from the sidelines and wore costumes of various descriptions. Their personal finish times seemed irrelevant. Closely watching a few of the runners, I wondered what they had in their water bottles! And finally, there were all the runners in between the serious and social runners/walkers. They tried hard but still wanted to have fun.
Of note I saw three different guys (in the short time that I watched the masses) running in fatigues. After a short while, I decided that they were probably clothing designers who were trying to rename the ill named trousers as being fatigues. After all who would name an Army uniform - folks who march for a living, as fatigues? They should be called energy pants or a similar positive description. Ha!
I hope that all the runners reached their dreams.
Telluride Mountainfilm Festival
Also yesterday, the Downtown Library hosted the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival. My friends Laura, Jon, Robin (who just ran the half marathon that morning), and I attended.
Seven short films were shown during the viewing. The films ranged in genre from action adventure to animated comedies. All the films were interesting and all seven told a message. It was a worthy two hours of inside time on an otherwise perfect outside day.
Unfortunately, the films were not well attended. In the past we had gone to showings of the Banff Film Festival and sat among throngs of outdoor enthusiasts. We expected similar crowds. The small group that attended the Library function seemed to be film festival folks. I just wish that more other folks would have attended. If you did not see the films, perhaps they will be available on video.