Andy Carson did what many runners like to do when they turn 40 - run a symbolic distance such as 40 miles. Some are able to enter a race on the day of their birthday, and others improvise if nothing else is going on. It's more difficult, of course, if your birthday falls in the middle of the week, but I know several who have taken off a day to run 30 miles when they turned 30, or take a few vacation days to run that 50k on their 50th birthday. Since Weatherman Andy Carson is one of the orginal members of Fox 12's Good Day Oregon, he was able to create an event out of his run, which in turn, enabled me to get of work, as well. The event was quite successful. Andy ran four ten-mile loops that started at McCormick and Schmick's Harborside Restaurant and ran north to cross the Steel Bridge, then south down the Esplanade to the Sellwood Bridge, and back up to the Waterfront. The event, organized by Run With Paula Events and sponsored by adidas, Portland Running Company, McCormick & Schmick's, and of course Fox 12, gave 100% of the proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
So, not only were individuals there from the above mentioned organizations, but there were many participants who were able to sign up to run part or all of the 40 miles on a Wednesday morning. And that brings me to me. Dunder Mifflin was gracious enough to not only print a gigantic birthday card for Andy, but to actually pay me to be out there running, sporting the Dri-Fit polo shirt they had printed for the occasion. If this is starting to sound like a commercial, that's part of the point. It's a beautiful relationship - I promote the company, and they pay me. Yes, I have run races for free before, with entries comped for one reason or another, and have also won shoes, watches and other great stuff at events, both through my performance and through raffle tickets. But, this is the closest I've been to being an actual professional runner.
My conversation with one ultra runner doing the whole 40 miles touched on this concept of getting paid to run versus funding the expense of racing all the time.He had just ran a string of races, and had a heavy schedule of ultramarathons planned out for the near future. He was also on a dragon-boat team this year, in addition to a competitive outrigger canoe team.And with all that racing, here he is, running 40 miles on a Wednesday.He obviousy doesn't have time for a regular job, once you factor in all the time he needs to train, so I figure he must be good at marketing himself. And, I think that's key. But, that also brings me to an interesting question. As sports mascots are becoming more athletic and professional athletes are becoming more commercial, what's the diference between the two?
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