For years, social scientists have pondered the question: Can Americans and Australians ever have brunch together? The answer is yes. Yes, we can.
Today Jonathan and I met up with a load of people, most of whom we’d never met. At least not in the flesh. With the exception of our friend (and my fellow podcast host) Joe of RunWestchester. But I’ve been following the exploits of Ewen (of About a Ewen) and Flo (of Girl in Motion) for several years. Ewen is here with his friends Joy and Mal on an epic tour of the U.S. (can’t imagine why they’d want to come to this 2,600 mile wide dump) and, fortunately for us, it includes an extended swing through New York City. Flo drove her ass all the way up from Philadelphia just to have lunch with us! But it gets better: also there was Flo’s friend, Heather, a newly minted masters runner who lives in New York and who had not seen Flo in sixteen years!! But, wait. There’s more: Heather had a stress fracture in her pelvis earlier this year in almost the exact same place I did!!!
It doesn’t get any weirder than that. Especially when this crew is involved.
In a symbol of the historically peaceful relations between our two nations, we exchanged cultural gifts. Ewen gave us Australia-themed drink coolers and fragrant soaps. We gave Ewen race t-shirts (he made out like a “bandit,” scoring shirts for the New York Marathon, Healthy Kidney, Scotland Run and yesterday’s Run for Central Park). Mimosas were consumed. Checks were split. Hugs were freely given.
Mal and Joy, who are non-runners, were extremely tolerant of all the running talk. Which is good, since we’re meeting up again on Friday evening for drinks and there will be even more runners there!!!! Joe and I will also see Ewen in Van Cortlandt for a 5K on Thursday evening, his first international race (not counting Tasmania)!!!!!
Ewen, Joy and Mal
Heather, Flo and Ewen
Me, Joe, Heather, Flo and Ewen
Jonathan threatens to usurp actual stuff from another continent
Filed under: clothes and gear, drinking, eating, everyday life, racing |
Races Like a Girl 
That’s great that you all you “cyber-friends” were able to meet up in the real world. Must have been an opinionated table!
Some of us were quiet. Others were not. Guess who was who?
Geez, that Ewen’s quite the camera hog, int ‘e? (just teasing, I feel like I know Ewen by always sharing comment space with him after your posts…)
2011 – the year of leaving the house to see people. It could become a trend, given how nice everyone is out there in the big wide world!
Great post Julie! I’ve never seen so many exclamation marks in one place!! Joy and Mal had a chuckle at your exaggerations. Fantastic to meet y’all after all these years. We’re having a great time here — just need you to turn down the temperature a tad.
WOW, thats nice and i like the pics and fun with the (non)runners in Newyork…
Thats a good time for ewen..