12/4/10 9.0 miles, St. Jude’s Marathon, Memphis, Tennessee
I had a great time cheering on six groups at the starting line. Then, I took off to criss-cross the course to cheer on the runners from different points. I was down along the Riverfront and almost out to Overton Park, and many people were surprised to see me out there along the course. I was mostly on the sidewalk until I crashed in the leaves along Parkway, then I decided it was safer to ride in the street.
I crossed over to Poplar Avenue and believe I caught up with some of the top runners there just before the 11-mile marker, including Leah Thorvilson, the women’s winner. I wasn’t going too slow because it took a while for runners to catch and pass me. I rode way out by the cones so I wasn’t in anyone’s way. One top runner moved near me as he past, turned, and fist bumped me. That was awesome!
I really wish I could’ve raced, but the officials were afraid I’d cause problems with the runners. Maybe some day!
11/5/10 13.0 miles, Veterans Day Parade + Around Town, Columbus, Ohio
I was glad to be a part of something as important as honoring our military veterans in the Columbus Veterans Day Parade. It was great talking to many of the Vets in the staging area before the parade began. I even circled back in the parade to retrieve some flowers that fell off one Veteran’s float.
I rode around downtown and the King Arts Complex neighborhood after the parade. It’s great shocking people temporarily out of their reality and into my fun one. I’m glad I can give them a smile to carry with them the rest of the day.
10/21/10 12.0 miles, Two Pumpkin Show Parades, Circleville, Ohio
The Pumpkin Show is just incredible: lots of people, food, games, rides, and parades – seven in total. I had a blast with everybody and they were all amazed I rode around the Little Miss Parade twice! The floats at the Miss Pumpkin Show Parade were really cool.
10/17/10 31.0 miles, Columbus Marathon, Columbus, Ohio
Unbelievable! I completed my first FULL marathon! I was only planning to do the half, but felt fine at that point. The last 4-miles were brutal. It didn’t help that I rode and extra 2.5 miles circling and backtracking to high-five people on the sidewalk! Life is such an incredible journey!
10/10/10 11.5 miles, Race for Hope, Upper Arlington, Ohio
Wow! The Race For Hope was awesome. Lots of people on a sunny day and they raised over $30,000 to fight colon cancer. Hurrah! I rode my personal record of 20:53, but felt bad that I passed a couple superhero guys and Dimitry. All they wanted to do was “beat the clown”. Well, it was a great 10-10-10!
10/3/10 12.0 miles, JDRF Walk around OSU Campus, Columbus, Ohio
Brr! It was a little chilly at 49 degrees, but we all had a great time at the Shoe and around Ohio State campus. I was glad to see so many people supporting such a great cause. I lost someone two years ago to complication of her diabetes, so JDRF is near and dear to me!
The best part was the warm-up dance. Wow! That was a rockin place. I really had a great time. Thanks everyone! I hope you did too.
10/1/10 16.5 miles, Test Half Marathon, Columbus, Ohio
I tested the Columbus Half Marathon route today, so I’ll be ready for 10/17. The extra miles were to & from where I parked. I did the Half Marathon in roughly 2:11, which isn’t too bad considering I stopped to talk a couple times, waited for cross-walks, dodged missing sidewalk squares, rode around downtown construction, dodged acorns, and rode through wavy brick sidewalks. Wow! I guess technically I rode through Columbus, Bexley, and German Village.
9/12/10 9.5 miles, Strides for Hope 5K, Westerville, Ohio
What a beautiful day for the 5K race. I got my best time at 22:27 and then rode half way back through the course greeting everyone. I think they all enjoyed being surprised by the clown on the unicycle. I crashed twice: once I lost the unicycle, but the second time I ended up on the ground. Luckily I was wearing a helmet! I’ll have to update my joke. Normally when someone asks how many times I’ve fallen, I say 5,276 times! I’m glad so many people were out to support the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Ohio.
9/9/10 11.5 miles, Popcorn Festival Parade, Marion, Ohio
It’s a small world! I got to see the boy who tried to sell me a hotdog at the Run 4 the Health of It three days ago. Marion used to have a unicycle club with over 100 people in it. One guy told me that he rode a tall unicycle. I said I had a 5.5-foot giraffe one and he said his was 36-feet tall! Unbelievable! I had an awesome time during the parade. The unit in front of me played loud music that I got to “dance” to — if that’s what you can call it on a unicycle!
9/6/10 8.0 miles, Run 4 the Health of It, Westerville, Ohio
I had a blast with the Buck-I-Guy again and got to play catch with Craig Krenzel to warm him up for the throwing contest. I was amazed that I caught every pass! It was a great time with all the runners of the 5K again. I went around the course a couple times, plus did a lot of riding around “warming up”. Thanks for having me back Jim!
8/18/10 3.5 miles, Lancaster, Ohio
I still had sunlight after the Nelsonville Parade, so I decided to ride in Lancaster. It has been a while since my last random ride in a city. I forgot how shocking I can be, especially for the folks driving down U33. I got tons of waves and a guy circled back and pulled over to video me on his phone. Sweet!
8/18/10 4.5 miles, Welcome Home Parade, Nelsonville, Ohio
A couple said they saw me at the Baltimore Parade — “You really get around!” I had a great time with the kids before, during and after the parade, plus the OldCoot.com guy.
8/8/10 9.0 miles, Baltimore Festival Parade, Baltimore, Ohio
Unbelievable! I had a great time with everyone in the parade and those watching. I rode up and down market street 3-4 times during the parade. Best times were: (1) the little boy that said, “You’re not silly,” even after I did a handstand, toe-touch, and cart-wheel, but changed his mind after I crashed for him and (2) riding the last time through the parade while eating an ice cream cone from Schaffner’s Drive In. One of the firemen said afterwards, “You are very talented: riding a unicycle, eating an ice cream cone, and talking to everyone during the parade!” Thanks Lumpy for having me!
7/5/10 6.5 miles, Kiwanis 4th of July Parade, Granville, Ohio
It was really hot at 91 degrees but I still had a great time celebrating our country’s independence with everyone in Granville. It was great that they were celebrating 100 years of scouting for the Boy and Girl Scouts. A couple people squirted me with water during the parade. I didn’t mind since it cooled me off a little. I think this was the first time I saw so many horses in a parade. Awesome!
6/11-12/10 12.0 miles, Hilliard Relay for Life, Hilliard, Ohio
I broke my record from last year going essentially 12.0 miles straight. I did stop for food, water, and to talk to a few people along the way, but not for very long. There was a group of kids that didn’t really want me there — trying to take my unicycle, take my nose off, and chasing me around the track. They were actually just having fun in their own way, so I was OK with it. I’m glad the rain let up and I was able to go. Curing cancer is one of the greatest causes on the planet!
5/31/10 7.0 miles, Memorial Day Parade, Blue Ash, Ohio (near Cincinnati)
I just had a blast with everyone before and during the parade. These Girl Scouts (maybe Brownies since they looked about 6-8 years old) lined up to give me fives as we waited for the parade. The first one ran around to the end and I said, “Didn’t I see you before?” Pretty soon they were all doing it! During the parade I stopped a couple times and sat with the crowd to watch the parade go by — that was hilarious. The kids would come over and sit by me.
5/15/10 11.0 miles, Komen Race for the Cure, Columbus, Ohio
Wow! Over 50,000 people at the race this year and they raised over $2.5 million for breast cancer research. I was late because I was trying some new make-up techniques I learned at Clown Town the night before. They were already 23 minutes into the 5K race when I was trying to find my way to the starting line. Instead, I decided to do the course in reverse. I made it about half way and turned around since there were so many people. I made it just shy of the finish line and took of down Broad street to be with the walker. I made it most of the way around again and then crossed over toward the beginning for yet another loop. I did 11 miles, or almost 3 laps of the 5K. Everyone there was really awesome. This is yet again, my favorite event. See you all next year!
3/13/10 6.5 miles, St. Partick’s Day Parade, Dublin, Ohio
I just love parades! We got lucky that all the snow (over 4-feet this winter) melted a couple days before the parade. We had a little rain, but it wasn’t too bad. I had a blast high-fiving folks on both sides of the street. It’s amazing how I end up doing more than double the miles of the actual parade route doing the loops side to side. There were a lot of people in green there! I’m glad everyone had a good time!
