By Yelena King
The roar of the crowd echoed through the redwood trees of Eureka, CA as over 1100 running enthusiasts (aka “crazies”) positioned themselves at the starting line of the 39th annual Avenue of the Giants half-marathon. As a long-time member of the FGA crew, and Nick Fluge’s core-specialist commandante, I had been inspired by his epic (and admittedly spontaneous) finish at the 2009 Portland Marathon. This was my chance to prove to Nick, and the rest of the FGA nation, that I deserved to climb mountains, do crunches, and sip cocktails next to a champion.
FGA VO2max specialist Troy Carter had been dispatched to assure my triumphant finish. He stood beside me poised, strong and silent, staring at the course ahead like a tiger ready to pounce. I believe he was channeling Mr. Fluge from his Kilimanjaro days; alpha-male, ready to lead the pack without reservation.
The starting gun rang out like a backfiring GT1 racer, and we made our way across the starting line. Troy and I ran hard, weaving through the crowd of participants, all of whom looked at us with envy. After all, we represented the FGA team, Troy sporting a limited-edition Tarzan tech shirt, myself in a brand-new FGA racing team hat… we may as well have painted targets on our backs. The competition was fierce, and holding our lead was not easy. Between labored breaths we heard them talk amongst themselves, “What’s Tarzan?”, “Who are these Olympic-worthy athletes sporting this fancy gear?”, “Why didn’t the Fluge make a celebrity appearance this year?”
To avoid an angry mob at the finish line, we graciously allowed some participants to pass us, strategically slowing up at water stations and chatting with the locals. We even managed to elude an FGA heckler at the finish line, who claimed we were not “race official” in our gear.
“Fluge Global Adventures?” she snarled, “I’ve never heard of that brand!”
“Lady,” Troy quipped without missing a beat, “This is FGA. It’s not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle.”
