The Dogumentary, Part One

This is the making of the documentary of X-Dog Events and friends. The 2011 year actually starts at the end of 2010, with the Holiday Party held Friday at the Eastbank Saloon, just down the street from Next Adventure. The main story here is the relationship between X-Dog and Next Adventure via Dave King, known to the Next Adventure gang as Thumper, and the X-Dog crew simply as Mascot. This was, after all, the Year of the Mascot at Kevin's Cup XIX. The Mascot image has become an actual icon: terry cloth head band, wide retro shades, and long strands of dark hair flowing down his shoulders, framing a full, longish beard below a mischievous grin. A slightly defiant cigarette hangs from his lip, and one hand holds a can of Budweiser plucked from his beer belt holster. Ringed tube socks, denim cut-off shorts, and a Next Adventure t-shirt, neatly clipped to expose his navel and surrounding fuzz, complete the ensemble. Even now, everyone wants a t-shirt, hoodie or handkerchief printed with Mascot's dazzling image. Mascot himself, in persona, was at the gathering, of course, and was among several X-Dog supporters and volunteers to earn rewards for their year-long efforts. The festivities included a large screen filled with a video made by Smoov showcasing clips of every event so far this year. The film was excessively entertaining, and provoked the sound-bite of the evening: "That little blond kid is the one that puked on my shoe when he came across the finish line," Geneiva said. "Normally I get to feel up the people that come across the finish line, but that guy I wasn't going to feel up. His vom was enough." A little too young? "They're hardly ever too young for me, quite frankly. The younger, the more vigorous." After more beer and food, we met a new Teirlynck, a MacTeirlynck, who is supposedly an Yves 2.0. As Borat would say, "Very nice!" And then, it was morning, driving down to Shelburg Falls, just north of Lyons, Oregon, the freeway crowded with flagged SUVs anticipating the Civil War game. Gary, Shandi, and the rest of the Run Wild Adventure crew did an amazing job at this hilly forest trail run. With over 200 participants and some very talented runners, it was a great success, with coffee, beer, chili, and hand-made awards. Also, their wilderness-worn red van, bedecked with Montrail and Mountain Hardware stickers, was hooked up to a brand-new trailer. This was their first outing in it, and it worked well, although they haven't yet built shelves or storage racks for the inside. Kevin Foreman, however, spent the rest of the weekend in central Oregon working with Super Doug planning and crafting the plans for the interior of his new trailer, which will basically be the Short Bus 2.0. This is only a rumor, but there may be a Kegeratorbuilt in that could be piped into taps accessible from outside. Speaking of tailgating, the Ducks mopped up the Beavers with a win 37 to 20, keeping their #2 spot and a chance to beat #1 ranked Auburn at the National Collegiate Super Bowl. For all the best races in 2011, check out the newly reformatted and updated Portland Runner Race Calendar that's been serving the Interwebs since 2001.