This past Saturday, my BF Sara and I teamed up to race in the Third Annual Three Legged Race/Bar Crawl to benefit the Riviera Maya Bomberos (Firemen). This year was the biggest event yet, and donation totals broke all previous records.
This year Sara and I raised 3,200 usd from generous contributions from visitors to her website, www.playamayanews.com and from the website I work for, www.playa.info (last year the most successful team raised only 600 usd!! (Which, incidentally, happened to be my team. Heh.). We also had fantastic corporate sponsorship from Royal Palms Condominiums, Blue Parrot Hotel and Beach Club, Babe’s Noodles and Bar, One Stop Real Estate, Dirty Martini Bar/Hole in the Wall Deli/Bar, and Yucatan Explorer. Caribe Sunrise also played a small role (you know, the greatest vacation rentals/property management company that Michael and I have ever owned).
Our Fire Chief, Brian Borjesson, was pretty gobsmacked by this year’s numbers, and promised to give us grand totals of all teams as soon as possible.
In his years acting as an unpaid comandante, Brian has taken an ill-equipped and undertrained force and has managed to turn out a team of firefighters that could make anyone proud. With less government funding than you might expect, Brian and the Bomberos rely on fundraisers and volunteer training from US firemen/heroes to turn out his top-notch team. This is a cause close to both Sara’s and my heart and we were overjoyed to have played a part in this fundraiser’s success.
This year, since I am in a cast, I was “allowed” to “run” the race in wheelchair, with Sara pushing me. Those with small minds who didn’t apparently realize this was for CHARITY (and also who don’t realize just how frickin’ impossible it is to get around in Mexico in a WHEELCHAIR) beefed (behind our backs, of course) about our “unfair” advantage, but as we predicted, we came in almost last. And f those idiots, anyway. Say some of that crap to my face next time, pendejo, and see what happens. I’ll put you in a wheelchair and see how you like it.
Thanks to Sara’s husband, Steve, I have some photos of the race. The ones I took turned out like crap.

At fair La Ranita Bar, where we set our scene. Notice the “puke tarp.”

Race winners and best lookin’ team, Carlos and Andy

Our two biggest sponsors were Royal Palms Condos with 500 usd and Blue Parrot/Playasia with 200 usd

Hotel Happy Gecko owner Wayne and his pretty daughter (Beverly??)

Luck O’ the Irish…that guy looks so much like a big leprechaun that it kind of freaks me out.

My old partner, Mayte, cheating on me with Lavinia. BTW, Ms. Lavinia, the next time you want to tell me I look retarded, you should take a look in the mirror (just so no one gets upset, Lavinia told me I looked ridiculous that night and I told her she should look at herself. So this is not an insult, it’s a joke, between me and MY FRIEND.)

Dutch Treats, Soraya and Jessica. As soon as they got their legs tied together, I heard Jessica say, “Uh oh, I have to pee.”

Vikings!

That final round is pretty rough. For the amateurs. (This is a joke and I did not mean to imply that these people are REALLY amateurs)

She looks a little skeptical

Slowest team of them all, Keith and Chris. They kept hugging everyone with their clammy beer-soaked selves. It was gross. (Just so everyone knows, Keith and Chris are two of my dearest friends and they were clammy and covered in beer, and everytime they hugged me that night, I told them so. So it’s A JOKE.)

The Jasons, who intimidated all comers with their confidence. They even stretched out before the race.

The adorable Smart Ass Blondes

Keith and my pretty Nurse Sara

Gary charming the ladies as usual

More of our sponsors

Soraya and I were feeling no pain! I think she might have even told me she loved me.



I can hardly wait until next year’s event!!
March 26, 2008 at 9:28 am
Looks like you all had a great time!
Carlos is HOTTTT!!!
Angie
March 26, 2008 at 10:50 am
Looks like a lot of fun and you guys kicked ass on raising funds!
Now introducce me to Carlos dannnnnnnnnnggggg!
March 26, 2008 at 11:09 am
Wish I could of been there…I always miss all the fun
March 26, 2008 at 12:01 pm
So what sort of training regiment did you have?
March 26, 2008 at 12:33 pm
You must be a really bitter person. You take a postive thing like this race and talk about how people talked about you behind your back? How do you even know if it happened behind your back? What a shame to even bring it up here. It just makes you look bad not them.
March 26, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I’m sorry you feel that way. I couldn’t believe that people were petty enough to complain about our team being in a wheelchair (and this was to the organizers of the race, who informed us there were those who wanted us disqualified), not just a gossipy “behind the back” thing.
I was trying to be a little funny about it, but I guess it did come off a bit harsh. Sorry it offended you, but it is my blog and I can say what I want.
March 26, 2008 at 1:44 pm
OMG! You sure got in a couple (or more) snarky comments about people in this post! Loving it! I always say assholes get what the get. (and they should never forget you have a blog!!) Congrats on a successful fund raiser that looks and sounds like a helluva good time!
March 26, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Most of the snarky remarks I made are private jokes among friends, and no, they never do forget I have a blog.
I really do think it was petty for people to complain about the wheelchair, however.
March 26, 2008 at 2:57 pm
This is my first post ever! I just wanted to say one BFF to another that not only did we rock the donations, but I can not wait ’til next year to try and beat this years record! I am already planning our next years costumes. Thank you so much to everyone that participated and donated, it was so appreciated and the Bomberos are over the moon….
March 26, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Um…it looks like one of the Vikings pissed himself?
March 26, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Hahaha, Adam, didn’t notice that. I’m sure it’s just beer. No one threw up this year, either (to my knowledge)…pretty boring.
March 26, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Tell JAnderson to back off. This isn’t about them, it’s about Heather. And her wheelchair. And her pretty, hurt leg. And her snarkiness.
March 27, 2008 at 7:53 am
BTW,
JAnderson is neither Julie nor me. I love it when Heather gets uppity.
Rock-on!
March 27, 2008 at 9:39 am
Did those who complained about your being in a wheelchair ignore the $3,200 you raised???? I mean, if you had been disqualified, that would have been a full THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS (yes, I’m shouting) that would have not gone to the firemen. Am I wrong?
That’s VERY mature of those who complained…I mean, it’s really all about the expats getting shitty drunk and not the money raised for the bomberos, right?
March 27, 2008 at 10:29 am
gabacha, even if we’d have been disqualified, Sara and I would still have given the dough to the firemen, of course. ‘Cause that’s just how we roll. *wink* But if the organizers hadn’t have given us the “dispensation” for me to be in a wheelchair in the first place, then we wouldn’t have been a team and wouldn’t have been able to raise that money. So you’re right…and the organizers were right. It was all about CHARITY. So we’re back to the original point: f those people.
Thanks!
March 28, 2008 at 10:58 am
OMG
Are you kiddin’?