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!!
