"Not So" Fun Run

So I guess I should learn my lesson about posting pictures of myself at 3 am roaming the streets of Vientiane because when I walked in to work this morning, Barbara asked me how I was feeling, as if my early shenanigans were related to any sort of weekend bender I had embarked on.  I'm here to set the story straight and tell my story of woe (and humor).

The infamous photo
Caption: Sunday morning. 3 am. Patuxai Monument. Bor Pen Nyang. 

It all started last week when Kiki asked me if I would run in a 2K race with her on Sunday.  She was asked to sign up by the "sports guy" at the Vientiane Times who invited her to join the Vientiane Times team.   The race was being sponsored by the Lao and Australian embassies in celebration of 60 years of collaboration in Laos.  It was scheduled to take place at the Friendship bridge and most importantly, we would get a free t-shirt.  Who wouldn't jump at that opportunity? She signed us up.

We didn't hear anything more about it for a day or two until we got notice that we had to meet at the "French school" by Patuxai monument at 4 am for pick up.  We rolled our eyes but decided not to bail and hold out for the free t-shirt.  I think we were hoping it would have some foul english grammar on it like almost every other piece of clothing here.

As noted in the previous blog, we were not out partying on Saturday and did not take Brad's suggestion of just pulling an all nighter.  (Have you noticed that the Aussie didn't get talked in to signing up???)  We went to bed around 10 with alarms set for 3.  

After five pretty decent hours of sleep, we rolled out of bed, made coffee and put on our sneakers, trying as hard as we could to get in to running mode.  By 3:30 we were on our bikes and enjoying the wide open roads of a sleepy Vientiane.  We made our way to the french school, parked our bikes and shuffled through the school children who were gathered and receiving their t-shirts.  We asked a woman where the team from the Times was and obviously she spoke no english.  I told Kiki not to panic and we amused ourselves in the the street taking full advantage of the unobscured views of Patuxai.

Kiki was ready to run and strong enough to hold up the whole monument!

Caffeine rushing through my veins: attempt at a great jump shot.  Epic fail. 

When we walked back up to the school a woman asked if our names were on the list, but one glance at the 10 page sign with all Lao names told us no.  (Looking back on it, I should have told her my name was Phetmany). We told her that we needed t-shirts and were here to get a ride to the Friendship bridge for the race.  With the buses already lined up, we knew we had to be in the right spot.  Sticking out like sore falang thumbs in a sea of Lao school kids, we were finally approached by a head teacher who asked where our team was.  We explained to her that the "sports guy" had told us to meet at 4 am at the school for our pick up to the race start and that was all the information we had been given.  After about 5 minutes of trying to talk to her, she asked if I spoke french and miraculously I was able to repeat the entire crisis to her en francais.  Despite her desolees and suggestion that we call the Times (what! at 4 am!!!) we were both pissed.  According to her, it was a security threat to let us on the bus with the kids and since we didn't have t-shirts (which we were told to pick up there!!!), she couldn't let us ride the bus.  Clearly we were very suspicious characters...

Revved up from the two cups of coffee I had chugged, we worked our way back to our bikes which were not in the back of a room filled with about a hundred motorbikes and I tried to google where exactly the race was taking to place to see if there was any possibility of partaking.  Upon search Lao-Australia Fun Run I found a press release for the event.  Not only was it a 5K (not a 2K), the race started in Nong Kai (Thailand) and anyone wishing to participate from Laos was required to bring their passport.  (This was something Kiki had inquired about and was told otherwise).  From the other websites I gathered that it was actually a huge event, with concerts, performers and professional runners participating. Anyways, since we were passportless, we weren't running.  The good news is that the t-shirt wasn't even worth running for.

Unsure whether or not the whole thing was a practical joke set up by the "sports guy," we biked home.  I was in bed by 4:49.  So no, I was not drunkenly roaming the streets of Vientiane on Sunday morning.  Just to set the record straight.