Final Post - Celebration

After such a successful race we all met in the evening for a celebration. It was a time to look back and toast to all the things that had gone well with this trip. It was also a time to remember that we wouldnt be here if it wasnt for all those who donated to Bolder Options in our name - A big THANK YOU to all of you.
In addition we should say a big thank you to the following people without who this trip wouldnt have been as much of a success

• Karen from Adventure Vacations for making sure the trip arrangements were smooth
• Gusto Di Casto for our pre race dinner
• Sander and Joyce for helping us in and around Amsterdam
• The folks at Hotel V for making us feel at home

We sat down to delicious appetizers and lovely conversation as the evening slowly ended.
The next day is a free day and so this will be my final post to the Amsterblog. It has been great putting together these posts and having all of you following the blog.
So its time to say thanks and good bye - until Hawaii ....
-The Blogmaster

Day 4 - Race Day

Day 4 dawned cool and calm - perfect running weather. We gathered in the lobby for a group photograph and then headed over to the Olympic stadium on the tram.
With the race starting at 10:30 and the half marathon starting at 2:30 we had a little cheering crew that would join us later. We got to the stadium and then spent a while just sitting down and relaxing waiting to start our final preparations. Some of us quickly made their way to the long lines for the porta-potties to make sure that they carried no extra weight on the course :)
Finally it was time to make our way to the starting corals all within the Olympic Stadium. Soon little groups of Bolder Options runners would be making their way across Amsterdam. We waited for the gun to go off and then made the way around the track to get to the start line. And then we were off ...
The race took us though the beautiful Vondelpark and then out into the city. We ran past windmills and along canals and then back to the center of the city. Soon the runners would be making it back into the stadium. Though the course was tough we all had very positive feelings about the marathon.
All of the runners waited till the other runners made it back to the finish. It was great to stand in the Stadium and cheer as the runners came in. It was very emotional for most of us. The best ting of the entire experience was that all of the Bolder Options runners made it to the finish.
Yeaaaa - Bolder Options Team Amsterdam
A few highlights

• Tom, Darshan, John, Liz and Troy all finished their first marathon - Congratulations superstars
• Tesha led the Bolder Options finishers with a time of 3:36 - Go Tesha
• Our half - marathoners Phil, Terri Rae and Missy all finished - after cheering the marathons through the first half of their race

All in all it was a very successful race ...

View more pictures from the Race here
And some more pictures here

Day 3 - Racehorses need oats and Runners need pasta

Bolder Options arranged for a special pasta meal the evening before the marathon. The meal was donated to Bolder Options by one of Ryans friends who has been helping the team - Sander Schouwstra.
The dinner was at an Italian restaurant - Gusto di Casto, which was a quaint little restaurant that had reserved the upper level for Team Bolder Amsterdam. The food was good and we dug in. Two types of pasta and great Italian Salad - just what a runner needs.
When we were almost done - Ryan spoke for a bit to help us focus on the real reason we were running the marathon - our Bolder Options kids. In a touching speech he told us of his experiences with how a little support can make big differences not only to the lives of the kids but also to the families that they live in. We then handed a few Bolder Options gifts to our hosts and benefactors.
John Tarbuck then thanked Ryan for his efforts in bringing the team to Amsterdam and for his work in making it all run smoothly. We then ended this portion of our dinner with a special treat - encouraging notes from current Bolder Options mentees. If this didnt get us excited for the next day - I guess nothing could
View more pictures from the Pasta Feed

Day 3 - Post 1 - Numbers Expos and other praparations

Today was number day - just to make sure we didnt forget that we had to run this thing. We left the hotel and caught the tram to the exposition. The race exposition was near the Olympic Stadium which hosted the Olympics in 1928. We got our numbers pretty smoothly and then moved over to the exposition to do some race shopping. We were able to get quite a lot of Amsterdam swag to take back with us. Cheers to the Amsterdam Marathon for putting on a good expo.
The group was then free to spend the rest of the morning on their own. Quite a few made it to the Albert Cuyp market in the city. This is the famous open air market in Amsterdam that sells a lot regular and not so regular stuff.
Watch for my next post on the pre-race pasta dinner that we will be heading out to soon.
Check out more photos from the expo and Albert Cuyp

Day 2 - So this is Amsterdam

Our first full day in Amsterdam started bright and early with a running tour through the famous Red light district. After breakfast - Ryan led a run thru the area that has been a large part of the history of this city. The runners were given a brief explanation of how the area fit into the city. Once back most of the group had a quick lunch and then we headed for the another historical landmark of this city - the Heineken brewery.
Heineken beer is something Amsterdam is proud of and they sure made sure that the tour did the city proud. We were taken through the history of the brewery and also given a brief explanation of how the beer is made. Another cool part of the ride is an interactive ride that allowed us to "be the beer". Once we had been brewed - we were now ready to taste the beer. We also spent a bit of time with a "master bartender" who explained to us what a good beer pour was and what the best way to drink a beer was. Ann was even lucky enough to get to pour her own pint.
We then headed to the canal tour which would allow us to tour the city from the canals that make the city famous. We were told of the three main canals of the city and were shown the various important buildings of the city.
The evening ended with most of us heading out to a nice dinner.
See more pictures from Day 2 here

Day 1 - Post #2 - The Team

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves it will be a good idea for me to introduce Team Amsterdam to you. We asked the team to pick a race-day nick name for themselves and also asked them what was the reason they had come so far to run this marathon. Here are the team members in no particular order

Name: Darshan Baldev
Nick: Roller Coaster (for all the ups and downs in his running
Why this marathon: "Its a personal achievement - that helps Bolder Options and also is one of the next steps to my health and fitness"

Name: Ryan Foss
Nick: ROC (pronouned Rock)
Why this Marathon: "The Amsterdam marathon helps support my passion for Bolder Options. Also one of my best friends lives in Amsterdam. After this marathon I will have run more marathons outside the US then within the USA"

Name: Tesha Distad
Nick: Boots
Why this Marathon: "Because Ryan asked me to, and I had come to know and love my Bolder Options team-mates from the Ragnar relay. Big shout out to Emma for introducing me to the Bolder Options folks"

Name: John Tarbuck
Nick: Flying High
Why this Marathon: "In 2009 my mantra is 'Living the Dream and Dont Stop Believing' and thats why im doing it

Name: Troy Tarbuck
Nick: Green Light
Why this Marathon: "Because Im running down my dreams"

Name: Liz Melcher
Nick: Gooster (like a Goose and a Rooster)
Why this Marathon: "I really wanted to run a marathon and Bolder Options offered me the coolest marathon team to be on"

Name: Terry Rae Olson
Nick: Running with the Pack ... Never looking back
Why this Marathon: "I didnt want to be left out of the Staywell group that was running the marathon and Annie said that I could come if I ran the half-marathon"

Name: Kellie Hand
Nick: Handful
Why this Marathon: "I swore last year that I would never run a marathon because they wernt as sexy as triathlons, but Bolder Options and Amsterdam made this one so much sexier"

Name: Ann Virnig
Nick:
Why this Marathon: "For all the kids in this program and I had to come to Amsterdam to babysit the biggest kid of them all - John Tarbuck"

Melissa (Missy) Hilpisch
Nick: Mistified
Why this Marathon: "To show the kids at Bolder Options that tough things like this can be accomplished and because this race brings me closer to God"

Name: Glen Desouza
Nick: Sexy Legs
Why this Marathon: "Because I know that every year thru these marathons I raise enough to put one more youth through the Bolder Options program and theres no better feeling than to see the changes this program brings to the lives of these kids"

Name: Tom Schmidt
Nick: Tnutz
Why this marathon: "Its for the kids man, for the kids ...."

Name: Paul Beck
Nick: Chet
Why this marathon: "Its for the kids man, ..... what u dont like kids ???"

Name: Phil Pelto
Nick: The Gambler

Name: Janelle Pentz
Nick: J-Lo

Name: Kate Diehn
Nick: Coco