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3-Alarm Fun Run ā€“ 2021 Year in Review

ā€œHow did these runs with 3-Alarm get started?ā€ ā€œWhat are 3-Alarmā€™ conditions?ā€ ā€œWhy does it burn when I pee?ā€ Hereā€™s the answers to your burning questions.

First of all, shout out to everyone who posted in 2021!!! As you know, 3-Alarm wants to meet everyone in F3 SouthWake. Hereā€™s our start: 16-Bit, Banana Seat, Bobby Bouche, Bobby Dall, Bondo, Cancun, Cash Roll, Cupid, Dawgpound, Dumbo, Emeril, Fanny Pack, Forceps, Full House, Gillette, Go-Gurt, Gump, Lipstick, Martini, Maybelline, Midget, Pikachu, Slide Rule, Snooze, Sprinkler, Swisher Suites, TomTom, U.T.I., Wild Turkey, Woody, Yogurt, Yoshi and 2.0s 3rd Down, 4th Down, Flower, Isabella, Slash, Sketch, Vader. That is an awesome start! Good times are in the attached photos. Who did I miss?

How did all this begin? My daughter (F3 Slow Pitch) and her boyfriend (F3 Go-Gurt) were friends with 3-Alarm from high school. One night in the fall of 2019, they were Facetiming with 3-Alarm and he got wind that I was in F3. I had never met 3-Alarm before. They handed me the phone, introduced me, and 3-Alarm immediately said his classic, ā€œHeeeeeey!ā€ and ā€œLetā€™s go run!ā€ Thatā€™s all it took.

Pure Joy – 2019 November 1st Run. I invited Pikachu and Go-Gurt on that first run. It was cold and dark and drizzly and I was definitely overdressed. See photo. I knew nothing about pushing a running chair and barely knew 3-Alarm. But I quickly learned, this kid is excited about running! He would yell out, ā€œWeeeeeeeeee!ā€ and ā€œIā€™m happy!ā€ What a blast! Pikachu remembers: ā€œMy just overwhelming memory from the first run, and really all the runs, is just pure joy. Every time I run with 3-Alarm it doesn’t matter what kind of day I’ve had or what mood I’m in – he has a contagious joy that has the ability to just completely turn my day around!ā€ Wild Turkey has expressed this same sentiment. He looks forward to leaving the work behind and enjoying 3-Alarmā€™ enthusiasm for life.

Time Lapse – 2021 Spring. Covid had been around for a year or so. I hadnā€™t seen or heard from 3-Alarm in a looooong time. While dropping off my 2.0 Zumba at Holly Springs School of Dance (HSSOD), I pulled into a parking spot, looked to my left, and lo and behold, thereā€™s 3-Alarm. ā€œDavis!ā€ I shouted. We were both glad to see each other. I asked Davis is he had been running lately. His joy quickly turned to dejection, as he answered NO. Sensing this urgent need, I said, ā€œLetā€™s go run!ā€ Thatā€™s all it took.

2021 Tuesday Runs – Pure Joy. Since early June 2021, F3 has been running with 3-Alarm every Tuesday. Why do we do this? Pure Joy! So much fun. I asked 3-Alarm what he likes most about our Tuesdays together. He says: F3 feels like family. Everyone welcomes me with open arms.

3-Alarm has impressed me in so many ways on these Tuesdays. He has an infectious enthusiasm that resonates with everyone. He literally has fans everywhere. During our runs, weā€™ve had fans stop their cars, shout out from their porches, stop us on their dog walksā€”just to say hello. In the summer, this happened over and over. What do you remember about your first meeting with 3-Alarm?

Tuesday Splashes. We were settling in on Tuesdays and more and more PAX kept trickling in. Early supporters included Bobby Bouche, Cancun, Dawgpound, Fanny Pack, Go-Gurt, Martini, Maybelline, Pikachu, Wild Turkey, and more. To sweeten the draw and to make things more fun for 3-Alarm, we added a splash down at the end of the run. By the time we reached August, we had a record turnout in the record heat. See photos.

FNGs. 3-Alarm has a keen ability to make friends and did his own recruiting for the Fun Run. While out walking with Mama Hope, one of his nurses, he met people and got busy. He texted me and was so excited to announce that he had an FNG coming. The following Tuesday, we dropped by Coleā€™s house. Cole wasnā€™t completely ready, but joined us for his first F3 workout. He was wearing very thick sweatpants in the August heat and I know he was roasting! We named him Snooze because he loves to chill and sleep. 3-Alarm also recruited Charlie, a 7th grader, who lives in Holly Glen and rides BMX and MTBs. We named him Cash Roll after a BMX trick created by BMX champion Daniel Dhers

911. Things were not always peachy on our runs. 3-Alarm has several conditions (Polymicrogyria, Dandy-Walker Syndrome, and seizures). In late September, the seizures were serious enough that Pikachu, Wild Turkey, and I followed our procedures for this situation. We timed the seizures and called Davisā€™s mom, then 911. Davis spent a few days in the hospital undergoing extensive diagnostic tests. For the next 3-4 weeks, we had second F instead of running. If we ever have to call 911 again, 3-Alarm wanted to request the specific medics who he had befriended on his ride to the hospital šŸ˜Š.

ā€œOut of the Goodness of His Heart?ā€ In October, Bondo organized a special treat for 3-Alarm and all of usā€”A visit from Mr. and Ms. Wuf. See photos and separate backblast Wuf Sighting on Acorn Falls, October 26, 2021. Davisā€™ mom asked me this question during the October visit from Mr. and Ms.Wuf. The answer of course, was YES, Bondo did this out of the goodness of his heart. Certainly a highlight for 3-Alarm and all of us. Woody: Donā€™t take that picture without me!

ā€œThatā€™s a big catā€ In October the Halloween lights and yard decorations were in full bloom. Wild Turkey did not wear his glasses on these runs or was hallucinating. A giant Rudolf looked like a cat šŸ˜Š This was followed by many Christmas light runs through Hilly Glen. Again, lots of fun, see photos. Wild Turkey says the neighborhood lights runs were among his favorites of the year. See my favorite in the BONUS FOOTAGE below. What your favorite 3-Alarm memory of 2021? Reply below.

Christmas Party 2021. Mr. Ambitious requested an F3 Christmas party at his house. I explained that it would be a little challenging to organize given the short notice, Covid surge, and busy schedules. But, all the F3 brothers came through. We had a party of at least a dozen PAX and 2.0s. Pikachu brought the magic hot cocoa maker and we showered 3-Alarm with some additional F3 swag and coffee gift cards (like he didnā€™t have enough!). See photos.

Whatā€™s next? 2022 brings another 52 opportunities to experience the Pure Joy for yourself. Are you ready?

BONUS FOOTAGE

2019 HS Half Midget, Pikachu, Snap. Midget lined up Pikachu and Snap to push 3-Alarm. Pikachu remembers:Ā  I remember hearing I was recruited with Snap and knew we were gonna have fun flying through the springs! The joy that Davis has on race day is on a whole other level. And at Holly Springs Half that day the grit that he showed was on a whole other level too – the bumpy course definitely didn’t do him any favors but he persevered and definitely gave me one of my best HS Half memories (and there are plenty of great ones over the years!). Note that Pikachu also ran 3-Alarm in The Quay, where many of you met 3-Alarm on his way to the finish line.

2021 HS Half Banana Seat, Wild Turkey, Yogurt, and 3-Alarm plus Midget, Matt, and Wolfie. 3-Alarm called out this event as one of favorites in 2021. Banana Seat helped Matt push Wolfie. Wild Turkey ran 9 miles EC. I was feeling good but did not push 3-Alarm until around mile 7 of the race, which was mile 16 for Wild Turkey! Forceps, Cancun, Wild Turkey, Mama Hopeā€™s son, YHC, and others joined 3-Alarm and his dad for Second F at 3-Alarmā€™s favorite coffee shop, Our Moments in Time.

ā€œErin, Erin, Erin!ā€ A chance meeting at the FV Christmas parade. This is probably my favorite outing with Davis in 2021, maybe because it was completely unplanned and unexpected.

Davisā€™s sister and my 2.0 F3 Zumba were among the hundreds of dancers from the Holly Springs School of Dance performing in the parade. We had both dropped off our dancers early and by chance walked up the hill together to select a prime spot to watch. Davisā€™ dad (Dan), Davis, and I joined a woman who was sitting on one of the built-in benches in front of town hall, poised to see her kids and grandkids pass by in their 4-WD Jeeps and such. ā€œKathyā€ shared her bench with Dan and I while Davis positioned himself front and center on the curb to wait. I must admit, sitting on that bench had a real Forrest Gump feel to it. I had a blast just sitting there hanging with Dan, who I had only met once or twice. Kathy watched and listened to our interactions with Davis and was intrigued. By the time it was over, our new friend Kathy was a big fan.

Watching Davis interact with the parade was amazing. For once, I grabbed his phone and took photos from there. Everyone was friends with Davis.

ā€œIā€™ll email you!ā€ About halfway through the parade, a convertible rolls up among the elected officials waving to the crowd. Suddenly, 3-Alarm sounds the alarm. He starts bobbing up and down and yelling, ā€œErin, Erin, Erin!ā€ over and over again. Dan and I looked at each other like, What? Davis kept yelling. Finally, the legislature representative Erin turned our way and saw Davis. She was so excited! Davis, how are you? Great to see you! And as she is rolling away, sheā€™s pointing at Davis, twiddles her thumbs like sheā€™s texting, and exclaims, ā€œIā€™ll email you!ā€ It was the craziest thing I had ever seen. Dan and I were flabbergasted. And I was so impressed. This just showed the range of Davisā€™ influence. All the way to the Legislature in downtown Raleigh!

Wuf Sighting on Acorn Falls

10-19-2021 ā€œDonā€™t take that picture without me!ā€

FNGs: FNGs to 3-Alarm Fun: Welcome Uncle Bondo, Uncle Full House, Uncle Slide Rule, and Uncle Sprinkler, and of course, Mr. and Ms. WUF. When I arrived at his house today, 3-Alarm told me that F3 feels like familyā€”like he has a bunch of uncles. Today, he met ā€œUnclesā€ Slide Rule, Sprinkler, and Bondo for the first time.
Warm Up:Ā Bondo had announced as early as Thursday, that we were having a ā€œspecial guestā€ at the 3-Alarm second F on the coming Tuesday. On Friday, we announced at Kung Pow, then at other AOs, including U-turn on Saturday and Paradise City on Monday. Then, on Monday, Bondo told me we were having TWO special guests! Awesome! I kept it low-key with 3-Alarm so that I would not accidentally spill the beans. ā€œWeā€™re just having a Wolfpack day.ā€

The Workout:Ā When 3-Alarm and I rolled around the corner at 6 pm, we were pleased to see new faces: Full House, Slide Rule, and Sprinkler. Full House and Davis already knew each other because they were neighbors about five years ago. When we have PAX who are posting to the 3-Alarm Fun for the first time, we do introductions. 3-Alarm wants folks to know a few basic things about him. Specifically, he has several conditions that limit his mobility. Seizures are also part of his condition. In spite of these conditions, he loves to run. And he loves it when the F3 brothers take him. None of 3-Alarmā€™s conditions affect his brain. Deep down, heā€™s just like any other 19-year old. Introductions: CHECK!

Lots of other PAX posted: Wild Turkey, Snooze, Forceps, and Lipstick and his three 2.0s. Of course, Full House, Slide Rule, Sprinkler, and myself were decked out in Wolfpack gear. Wild Turkey asked if he had missed the memo about wearing Wolfpack colors. Hmmmm, well I figured he probably didnā€™t have anyā€”at least he was not wearing a Carolina shirt like last week. I pulled the Tar Heel magnet off his Jeep and placed it in the back. Lipstick left his Carolina gear at home too, and out of luck, Snoozeā€”another Carolina fan, wore a bright red hoodie. Nice! We all hung out anticipating the arrival of our guests.

Right on time, I saw Bondo roll down Acorn Falls. He had to drive past us to park, so I distracted Davis with a photo of Bondo and the rest of the 1983 Wolfpack Cheerleading Squad. Thatā€™s right, Bondo was a cheerleader at NC State in 1983ā€”the year the Wolfpack won the NCAA championship in basketball. He was there when Lorenzo Charles dunked the ā€œalley oopā€ from Derek Whittenburg and the Cardiac Pack beat the Phi Slama Jama of Houston for the 54-52 national championship win. Unbelievable!

As Bondo and his M unloaded the guests and escorted them up the sidewalk, I kept 3-Alarm distracted until the right moment. Then, he peered down the sidewalk and had a look of bewilderment. He squinted. He blinked. He could not believe his eyes. When he realized it was real, he busted out with, Oh wow! over and over again. See photos.

The Wufs embraced 3-Alarm both literally and figuratively. They high-fived everyone else. Bondo and the Wufs gathered around 3-Alarm and presented him with lots of Wolfpack stuff from 1983. The stash included a team photo featuring the star players and Coach Jim Valvano (Coach V), a vintage Pack Power bumper sticker signed on the spot by Mr. and Ms. Wuf, and a copy of the Technicianā€”NC State’s student newspaper, from the day after the Wolfpack won the national championship. Plus, a photo of the 1983 Wolfpack cheerleading squad featuring Bondo himself in his senior year.Ā  And a bright red NC State Cheerleading T-shirt, welcoming 3-Alarm to the NC State Cheerleading community. Wow!

From there, we took lots of photos. While lined up for the big Wolfpack F3, photo, we hear, ā€œDonā€™t take that picture without me!ā€ from up the street. Woody! 3-Alarm and all of us busted out laughing. Woody ran down the sidewalk and dropped into the back like a photo bomber. Now we had our zany component.

Then, 3-Alarm reminded Woody that burpees are required if you are late. BAM! Woody dropped and kicked out five very nice burpees. You should have seen the height on those things!

What does the Wuf do when the Wolfpack scores a touchdown? Howls Awoooooooo! And a pushup for every point. The Wuf dropped and kicked out some pushups.

Mary: After many more photo ops, it was time for Mr. and Ms. Wuf to go. After all, they are students and have to study. We hung out for a bit more before complete darkness. Wild Turkey and I helped 3-Alarm gather up the loot and head in. Another fantastic 3-Alarm second F. This one will be hard to top!

Finally, after the Wufs were gone, Cancun rolled in with his 2.0s. Always great to have him for the second F here. Today, he missed the Wufs.

T-Claps (Recognition): Thanks again Bondo for creating some memories for 3-Alarm and all of us!

Announcements: 3-Alarm planning to run next week (10/26)

3-Alarm 8/24/21 – Fartsack Explained, Gatorade Expired, With Some Dead Animal Stench in Between

Ā 

FNGs: Cole (F3 Snooze)
Warm Up: Count off and pre-run announcements
The Workout: 4 miles in Hilly Glen

Back in June, 3-Alarm (Davis) wanted to share a few words before each workout, so he texted me those words for my delivery at the next run. What I didnā€™t expect was to video myself speaking those words on Davisā€™ behalf and then sending the video to him for review. Since then, Iā€™ve delivered Davisā€™ speech every time we have new runners at SouthWakeā€™s best AO (certainly the most joyful). And Iā€™ve embellished it each time with Davisā€™ approval. Davis also asked us to define F3 terms, so he can participate in the conversation and not be confused by Purple Cobra, Merkin, AO, COT, and of course, Fartsack. Today, @Dumbo entertained allā€”especially @3-Alarm, with his firsthand account of Fartsacking.

After these standard announcements and a count-off of 12, then 13 with Cupidā€™s late arrival, we took off. Very impressive seeing 13 PAX run up the street with Davis rolling and the flag waving.

For the second time this month, Davis brought an FNG. This week, we picked up Cole, a senior at HSHS and avid rugby player and sleeper. It took us a minute to find his house, but Davis came through. Cole joined us on a run wearing sweat pantsā€”the big, heavy cotton type that would be great if you were camping in 20 degree weather. But it was 95 degrees out. I asked if he wanted to change and he said no. Cole hammered through the run in spite of bruises and old injuries (broken femur five years ago). At COT, he earned the name @Snooze because it takes several alarms to wake him up in the morning. When asked what he likes to do for fun, he said he likes to chill and doze off, hence the name @Snooze, penned by @Pikachu. Davis had met Cole and recruited him while on a walk the week before.

We also swung by Charlieā€™s house. Earlier in August, we picked up FNG Charlieā€”an avid BMXā€™er and MTBā€™er, who earned the name @Cash Roll after a BMX trick invented by Daniel Dhers (2021 Olympic Silver medalist, BMX freestyle; and owner/operator of Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex, right here in little olā€™ Holly Springs). Finally, we got going on rhythm with the run. Down Avent Meadows, up Holly Moor. Here, Cole pushed Davis straight up the hill with an assist from Pikachu. This is not an easy hill!

Several runners rotated in to push Davisā€”Emeril, Dumbo. We stopped at intersections to let cars go by and to keep our PAX together. Pikachu showed us how to climb Holly Thorn Trace, nearly a mile straight uphill, going faster pushing Davis than most of us can run solo. The stop sign at the top is a good spot to rest, catch your breath, and pick up the six. But today, there was the distinct odor of a dead animal. This thing made the landfill smell like roses. After picking up the six, we gladly moved on.

Cupid had the privilege to push Davis back down the hill. On the way back, Cancun found us as he drove his search vehicle through the neighborhood. He and both 2.0s rolled back to the house and set up the splash zone. Maybelline and I bolted back to the houseā€”Maybelline to hop in the car to pick up his son and me to help splash.

Pikachu ran Davis back and forth through the sprinkler. Cancunā€™s 2.0 Oliver freely squirted just about everyone with a squirt gun and exclaimed the my SUV was not a ā€œtruck.ā€ Wild Turkey soaked Davisā€™ hat and placed it on Davisā€™ head. Dumbo and others stuck their head in the sprinkler. COT and one burpee by Pikachu and we were done. Finally, after most had left, Wild Turkey and Snooze were enjoying some Gatorade, when Snooze realized it was expired by 2 years! Uh oh. Davis got a real kick out of that. If Wild Turkey and Snooze return next time, we’ll know they are OK. Another successful 3-Alarm run!

Mary: None
Announcements: Done
T-Claps (Recognition): All who posted for the first time today: @Bobby Dall, @Cupid, @Dumbo, @Emeril, @U.T.I., @Yoshi