Miles From Nowhere

Separated at Birth

It happens this time every year. Someone, usually my 7 year old daughter, asks the question:  Do you think you will win this year?

I think that this question arises from ignorance, mostly, but also from the fact that Deena Kastor and I have enough in common that we could have been separated at birth. For the uninitiated, Deena Kastor is the darling of American Marathon circles.  She won the bronze in the Olympics in 2004, had a spectacular win in Chicago in 2005, and finished Berlin in 2:19 in 2006.

It is easy to see how someone would get us confused.  There are the obvious similarities: we both run marathons and are stalked by clowns (more on that later).   But there are also weirder Lincoln/Kennedy type things going on that simply can’t be explained by coincidence alone.  I will list just a few.

• My VO2 max (41) is exactly one half of hers (82).
• Her marathon pace is exactly my marathon pace divided by 2.
• Deena weighs 104 pounds, I weigh 140.
• We are both 5″ 4′ tall.
• Both of our last names have 6 letters AND end in the letter ‘r.
• Both of our ages are divisible by 4.
• We both write blogs.
• Deena is an Olympic medalist, while I once worked at the sailing venue of the 1996 Olympics.
• Our running wardrobes appear to be virtually identical.

Since Deena and I have never been seen together during a race, there has been much speculation that we might actually be the same person. I think this type of speculation is just silly, and detracts from the two goals of the marathon:  running and fund raising.  To end this speculation forever, I am sharing with you two images of myself and Deena taken during last year’s marathon season.  If you look closely, you will notice that  Deena’s bib number is in the single digits, while mine has five digits. This is one of the best and most reliable means of telling us apart on the course.

If you still need help telling us apart, remember this advice – look to the clown.  The clown that stalks Deena is very different than the one that stalks me, as seen in this side by side clown comparison.

Notice that while my clown sports a disguise that consists of only a wig and, occasionally, fashion eye wear, the clown that stalks Deena is usually seen in full body attire. The full face coverage of the costume and the presence of faux fur in a neon color is a dead giveaway  that one is looking at Deena’s clown, and not mine.

Hope this helps to clear up any confusion.

109 days…

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