you-uns over here on this blog need to come on out to run this here race

What do you get when you cross some good old country REDNECKS........with some really fast runners? Well this Friday, you will get to find out!! TATUR, famous for putting on new and inventive races, is presenting The Reckless Redneck--a one mile DOWNHILL race.
This mad dash starts at the top of Elwood at 61st Street, and screamzzz down Elwood, turns into the Turkey Mountain parking lot, and then streaks down the paved bike trail. This downhill is less elevation descent than Pikes Peak or Mount Everest, but for around these parts, it is quite a steep downhiller.

Why the redneck theme?? Well, why not? This IS Oklahoma! Anyone wearing some sorta redneck garb gets a discount on their entree fee. For a lot of my friends, all that means is they might wanna not put on that Sunday-go-to-meetin shirt and come on in their regular goin-out-ta-eat shirt. Some of my friends just need to flash a toothy grin
and that'll be proof enough that they are rednecks. (A tip: Nascar hats work for costume accessories, and might add to your aerodynamics, besides making Junior proud.)(NOTE:anyone wearing #24 will be escorted off the durned mountain,)


Finally, because this is a real fast course, and some of you-uns will be running faster than you ever dreamt possible, please be careful and don't fall, don't trip anybody, don't step on anyone's pig or chickens. There just might be some good suds waitin for ya at the finish line.Here's a few pitchers of this race from a couple years back. CLICK HERE

Put on your Poker Face

It's time for our semi-annual Poker Run--a chance to be a little wild, take a chance of winning big, or losing it all ( mere $5 dollar entry fee) but know this--few if any walk away without something, PLUS you get to run with your friends and that's what winning is all about--right?

Don't know how to play poker? Well, the game is Five Card Stud. It's maybe the easiest game of poker there is.
In our case, you run a mile, get a card, run another mile, get another card, and so on. (Five miles for 5 cards--works about just about right.) Now here's where knowing a few rules helps. Just what makes a GOOD poker hand?If you have a hand with no matching cards, take heart. It may still be better than some. A hand with an ace and no matching cards will beat another bad hand with all low non-matching cards. Next best is a hand with a pair, then two pair is even better. Three of a kind will beat two pair. Check out the list to the right for the official ranking of hands. Next is a straight--a run of FIVE cards in sequence regardless of suit. They can be clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds, and the suits do not need to match, but they must be sequential )2,3,4,5,6--or 10, J, K, Q, A.
A run of four in a row is nothing. Next yo the list is a flush--five cards of the same suit--all hearts, spades, etc. Then comes a full house which is two of a kind, AND three of a kind. This is a good hand. Better than that is four of a kind. Then a straight flush beats that. A straight flush is five cards in a row of the same suit. A ROYAL FLUSH is 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit. In our game, since there are several decks of cards to accommodate the 400+ runners playing, it might be possible to have a five of a kind. That'll qualify you to be on a cable channel in a Poker After Dark episode.

A very experienced crew of pit bosses will help you with your poker hands, and direct you to your winnings. And the winnings are indeed fantastic. There are super nice tech shirts, jackets, other running wear, water bottles, a gift certificate here and there, several free race entrees, and maybe a few surprises! But do remember this--the game is Five Card Stud--your hand IS the five cards you're dealt. It is not Five Card Draw. It is not GO FISH. Let's be fair.

To help you get into the poker mood, I thought I'd post a video of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. This is a really exciting rendition--ENJOY!