*Click Here* if you think you are an Ultra Runner

The Fun Continues

2009 Soiled Sport Trail Series

Start Times: 8:00 am sharp
(or maybe 8:02 because Cathy Q is late again)

OUS race start times, you need to confirm for each race @ http://www.ouser.org/

May 16th,
Meadowlilly Trails


May 23 rd
Komoka Trails
or
Ontario Ultra Series Race #4
Sulphur Springs 10K, 25K, 50K, 50M, 100M

May 30th
Medway Trails

June 6th
Fanshawe Trails
or
OUS Series Race #5
Kingston 6hour endurance race

June 13th
Westminister Ponds
or
There is a new trail race, http://www.trailsdaywoodstock.ca/
1 Mile, 5K, 1/2 marathon
*Trail points ONLY if you wear Vulture Bait or Soiled Sport running shirts during the event

June 20th
Kains Woods
or
OUS Race #6
Niagara Ultra 1/2 marathon, marathon & 50k

June 27th
Medway Trail

July 4th
Medowlilly Trai
or
OUS Race #7
Creemore Vertical Challenge (please note the word Vertical.. this means hills, long never ending hills)

July 11th
Gibbons Park Trail

July 18th
Killaly Trail

July 25th
Komoka Trail

August 1st
Fanshawe Trail

Cannon Balls & Brass Monkeys

When you are out running trails with some one new, who you wish to impress with the depth of your knowlwdge of some very deep subjects, please feel free to use this.

It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.Thus,it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?