When Evil is Afoot, There Can Be No Slowing Down
In the light of every Market to Market from the very beginning, we’ve seen the darkness. Something wicked lurking in every race. You’ve seen them. We’ve all seen them. A dark blur. You can pretend they’re not there, but when you feel the fire, you’d better Run Like Hell.
Of the 8 villainous vixens who comprise Run Like Hell, 5 have been there from the beginning.
“I think the best moment this year was when we came down the last leg toward the finish line and we heard the announcer say ‘Here comes one of my favorite teams!’ We were recognized a few times through the race, and this team of younger guys came up to us and said we were their goal. They were watching us to try to outrun us on each leg. It kind of makes you feel like you’re really part of this…”
While the women admit that there is a certain thrill to passing another runner, they have also found that their competition has always been internal.
“If someone does a slower leg or if we’re falling behind, it just wouldn’t occur to us to be mad at that runner. Instead, it feels like an opportunity to really dig a little deeper and push ourselves to make up the time. To bring a little more to the team.”
The team felt less prepared for this year’s event after an exceptionally hard winter, illness, and several team injuries.
“A few of us were still recovering from bronchitis, and some of us had minor injuries we were nursing. We weren’t expecting to PR or anything, but we were determined to get it done and to have fun doing it!”
And when these wicked women set their minds to something, it is as good as done.
Everyone Pitch-Forks In
“We like to swap team captains every year, and everyone gets a different assignment. Someone decorates the van, someone does the driving, everyone has a job. It keeps any of it from being too overwhelming, and it keeps everything really fresh for us.”
They take everything in small bites, whether it’s approaching a large-scale run just a few miles at a time, or challenging their own speed by choosing just one runner to pass each leg.
“Pink Gorilla organizes such an excellent event. Everyone does their part to make sure that each detail is perfect. The volunteers make it all go so smoothly, we usually like to bring beads to hand out to them to thank them for all they do! One detail we’re hoping for next year has been our goal from the beginning. We’re hoping to reserve bib #666. We don’t want to put a hex on anyone, so I really hope they can make it happen!”
And when you ask the dangerous dames what on heaven or earth possesses them to take on such a daunting event every year, the answers are simple:
“You get close quickly. You develop relationships and you find yourself missing more than just running, you miss your team. We make it a point to get together at least once a month. With all of the ways people have to communicate, it gets harder and harder to actually connect. You always say ‘let’s get coffee’ but it turns into just texting one another or having an exchange on social media. It’s not the same as really spending time together. We look forward to running, but we also look forward to one another.”
Their wicked awesomeness infects other runners as well. In 2017, we told you about Ladies of the Evening and their silk-bound bond.
“We ran into them and truly, they are amazing. So much fun, so we spent some time with them. We all agree, if we ever grow up, we want to be them!”
Pink Gorilla can’t get enough of these determined devils, and we are so excited that they have already signed up for the 2020 M2M! We’ll see you beastly babes next year!