My son Mark has been running at the Penn Relays for 5 years. It's a classic and prestigious event that even packs in star power. This year, we had great seats not far from the finish line and fairly close to the track. Mark ran the Championship of America 4 X Mile for Columbia University. Columbia came in 6th out of 12 teams. Mark ran the fastest leg, 4:02.8 minutes and beat his RI running rival, who naturally, ran the same leg.
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| Mark's Mile |
Mark didn't fare so well in the 4 X 800 meter run, colliding with another runner near the end of his leg. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously injured, just scraped up a bit, and disappointed that his team had to drop out of the race. He's always philosophical about these matters, which as a parent, makes it a lot easier for me to stay upbeat. He's now focused on the Ivy League Championships next weekend at Princeton.
You can't talk about the Penn Relays without mentioning Jamaica. The Jamaicans are track fanatics and really shine at this venue. There are so many of them that anywhere you sit, you're surrounded by screaming flag-waving people wearing gold, green and black. I even learned a new Jamaican slang word, "bickle" which means food, Jamaican food.
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| Go Jamaica, Mahn |
We had dinner at the Victor Cafe where the waiters and anyone else who wants to can sing opera. The food was good, but our singer-waiter wasn't much of a waiter. In truth, he wasn't much of a singer. The next morning we shopped at the Italian Market, stocking up on fruits and vegetables, plus some fish and lamb.
Emma: Stuart is a keeper. He may not know where anything is in the kitchen but he was a great host, who also dusted and did endless laundry.
