truly, an amazing race

This Sunday at 6am Roger competed in the "23th" annual 5K Fun Run at the gym where he works out.

(Roger and the other American runners...what a scary crew)

Roger looks substantially different when compared to a few years ago. This is attributed to the fact that he enjoys running and does so about 4 times a week. He seized the opportunity to run in the 5K and believed that he could have a strong finish. He worked and trained hard! But unfortunately, all his hard work didn’t pay off...he was the 3^rd person to cross the finish line in 23 minutes and 48 seconds; a pretty strong showing. But third place is good, right? Anyone would be thrilled to be the third fastest person in the race…to be in the top three is an incredible feat, especially considering that 3 years ago Roger was 225 pounds and could barely run half a mile and now he’s 155 pounds and easily ran 3.1 miles without being winded.

(Grease Lightning nearing the Finish)

The trouble is that Indonesia doesn’t play by the rules. Indonesia spits in the face of common sense and logic and says she will do things her own way. Prior to the race, the organizer said that it should take “30-40 minutes to finish the run”. What wasn’t explained was that the “winner” of the 5K is not necessarily the first person to finish. The true winner of this “race” is the person who finishes the closest to the goal time of 30-40 minutes. So, although Roger was the third person to finish, he was far from being the winner because in the words of the organizer, Roger was “too fast”. To win, Roger should have strived for a solid 35 minute run. Sound backwards? You betcha! That's just how Indo rolls!

(Asher came ready with signs to support Daddy)

This is like being punished for answering too many questions correctly on an exam. Could you imagine? You did very well on your Algebra test, you got a 97%...but that’s a little too good. I’m going to have to give you a “C” for that…maybe you should aim for a 75% next time…nice and mediocre…not too flashy…just right.

(post race with Jerry, the organizer)

Roger was looking forward to being on the winner’s podium (yes they had one as if it were the Olympics) to be crowned with the Bronze medal, but alas, he was too fast. Maybe he’ll learn his lesson and slow down a bit for his next 5K.

(Asher with Mom on the podium...he's number one as far as we're concerned)