Monday, April 02, 2007
at 4:21:00 PM
Posted by Chris Holstrom, Technical WriterAt
Google we like to do things fast -- that's why you get search results
in a fraction of a second, and that's why 12 speedy Googlers traveled
to Phoenix this past weekend to run the
Relay Del Sol. The Relay Del Sol is a 187-mile overnight relay race through the Arizona desert.
Between
the time Dan Brown started us off at 6 pm on Friday night and the time
that I crossed the finish line at 1 pm Saturday afternoon, we each ran
three grueling relay legs. Some of those legs were in the dark of
night, with coyotes howling in the distance and us wearing lights and
reflective gear to make us visible to cars. Other legs were in the heat
of the desert sun -- and cacti don't provide much shade.
Through
it all, we stuck to our aggressive goal pace of just over six minutes
per mile. It was good that we could run that fast, because we faced
some serious competition from the
MarathonGIS team. After about 130 miles, they were just seconds behind us.
We
responded to the challenge, though, and really turned it on for our
third set of legs. As we approached the finish in Scottsdale, we had
built up a solid lead. I knew that victory was within reach when I took
the handoff for the final leg.
When I approached the finish, I
saw my team waiting to cross the line with me. I pumped my arms in the
air and flashed a huge smile, overwhelmed with the amazing teamwork and
tremendous personal efforts that everyone contributed to the race. We
came across the line together as the
first place team. It was a great victory for us and an incredibly fun weekend.
Here's our team:
Back row, left to right: Belsasar Lepe, Eddie Higgins, Don Faul, Tom Phillips, Dan Brown, Sean Knapp.
Front row, left to right: Nathan Stoll, Chris Estwanik, Chris Holstrom, Jared Jacobs, Katie Hotchkiss, Bismarck Lepe.