By Alexa
Our team had been in communication for a week or so prior to Mock. We’d talked about hydration, fuel, gear, weather and strategy. We had all planned on ‘resting’ as much as possible on Saturday so that we had plenty in the tank to attack the course, but as we all know, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. We were all too anxious. So we did what we could to pass the time. FINALLY, it was time to go. Jolly Rancher and I arrived at Big 4 and quickly noticed two things: firstly, a group of 20 men in a parking lot with overloaded backpacks looks a little suspicious and secondly, there were a lot of people just meandering about (who has that much free time?) Anyway, we greeted everyone, exchanged fist-bumps and high-fives and waited for Kilo to get us all started.
Kilo’s first step was to hand out a physical map to each team. As I walked over with ours, I noticed that Miyagi had a look of bewilderment on his face. Our team learned that he was blissfully unaware that paper maps had ever existed (CHILD PLEASE!). Kilo then distributed the packet of waypoints, so we got to work; Plumb Bob and I used our Road Warrior Apps, Jolly plotted the locations on physical map, and Miyagi searched the interwebs on how in the hell to enter coordinates into Road Warrior as Plumb Bob and I couldn’t figure it out. As we were doing all of this, we noticed that the large group of HIMs was dwindling around us. We promptly decided that, instead of panicking and rushing off, we would take a few more minutes to plan the route so that we wouldn’t get lost or have to double back. Using the advice that multiple experienced Star Course participants had given us, we decided to attack the furthest waypoints first. We wanted to get the long treks out of the way while we were fresh and vibrant, saving the closer, more clustered points for much later in the night when small victories would have a much more significant impact (more on that later).
We decided that we’d head out to the reservoir first. This proved to be VERY entertaining. It was 9ish on a Saturday night in relatively good weather, so people were everywhere. We got lots of inquisitive stares, some mean mugs and, surprisingly, only one woman asked us what we were doing (Note, even when Miyagi explained it to her, she still seem very puzzled). We were making great time and feeling good until we hit a train that de-railed our pace (see what I did there?) for 3-5 minutes. This whole time, we were still talking strategy; not so much our own, but pondering what the others might be doing. At some point, maybe a mile out from the Reservoir, we ‘merged’ with Team 2 (McAfee, PK, Meter Maid, Catfish) for a brief period of time. We hit the waypoint, snapped and posted the photo and set back on a course for downtown. It was getting later and people were clearly having more and more drinks. As we passed by multiple bars and restaurants, we over-heard numerous slightly slurred conversations, endured a few drunken “shout outs”, and noticed a lot of WTF looks at our expense. At one point, Miyagi gave a heartfelt apology for his entire generation and the way they behave. Thank you for that Miyagi.
Once we hit River Road again, we double-checked the map and reviewed the strategy. We trusted our instincts and still planned to hit all the furthest points sooner rather than later. We crossed into Indiana and quickly knocked out the three downtown points (because they were right there) before heading out east. At this point, it was getting late(r), so there were less people out-and-about. We did, however, encounter one gentleman who had clearly been enjoying his night. He was so “tired” from all the dancing and St. Pats celebrations that he just couldn’t hold himself upright anymore. We found him using a car as a crutch, but eventually he thought it best to just lie down. Before leaving, we made sure that he wasn’t trying to break into the car or drive home. We felt comfortable that he was planning neither, so we continued on. The Steamboat Museum was next on the list so we hit E Market, took a left and hunkered down for the long walk out to the Museum and then to Perrin Park. At the Steamboat Museum, I learned that we HAD a Steamboat Museum and the team learned that, unfortunately for them, I’m comfortable peeing anytime, anyplace. Sorry, not sorry. We snaked through a neighborhood, hit Perrin Park, then continued to Quartermaster Court.
It was getting pretty quiet around 1am and we were all entering our own headspaces. Thankfully the Fuzz showed up and gave us a burst of energy. We learned from Officer Cunningham that there was a search for a perp wearing a black leather jacket and white shoes. He asked us to keep a lookout. That clearly meant that he had basically deputized us and we were know public servants responsible for the safety of all Jeffersonville residents. We did our due diligence and kept our eyes peeled, but we never located the perp. Rest assured that Officer Cunningham must have prevailed, since about 20 minutes later he blew past us at breakneck speed to obviously participate in the sting operation we saw a few blocks up the road. All of this excitement provided much needed rejuvenation to get to the next point and to the Thornton’s on Spring Street. We stopped in for fuel/hydration and so Jolly could pee (he’d been holding it for 4+ hours…shy bladder). While inside, we enjoyed all the sites that a Thornton’s has a 2am. The show was headlined by a knock-off Harley Quinn and her cartoon-pajama clad boyfriend. We weren’t 100% sure what they were doing that night, so we started our next segment discussing all of the possibilities. This was good entertainment for our final push to the last “faraway” waypoint: George Rogers Clark Homesite. This was probably my favorite stop. It was very peaceful and the view of the falls/skyline were spectacular. We hit the relatively new walking path on the flood wall and kept chugging along.
It quickly became evident that something was going on with Miyagi. He had pushed a few yards ahead of us and had gotten really quiet. Plumb Bob, Jolly and I just assumed that he was tired of talking to the old guys and wanted to get away from the stories about our kids and ‘the good old days”. We couldn’t not have been more wrong. Upon arriving at the Falls, he shared with us that this was a favorite place for him and his best friend to spend time while growing up. He had a multitude of great memories here, some of which he shared. Sadly, his friend lost the battle with depression 3 years ago and committed suicide. (Side note: this is the inspiration for his push for Mental Health Awareness this month-post on 3/27 at the Mutt to show your support). I think I can speak for the team when I say that we were honored that Miyagi was comfortable to share those feelings with us. You can build some pretty good relationships at three in the morning after rucking for 6+ hours. It was a quiet, somber moment, but we appreciated it as it took our focus away from our current struggles, which were miniscule in comparison to what many other people experience. Thank you Miyagi for sharing.
After jumping back on the path, we knocked out the Aquatic Center and headed closer to downtown. We hit the Murals then came back into Kentucky. You could feel our excitement. We only had 6 more points to hit and they were all very close. We hit YUM! Center and then headed the farthest one, the Slugger Museum, and then turned back toward the Endex, hitting the Muhammed Ali Center, Belvedere, Joe’s Crap Shack and then the Lincoln Statue in Waterfront Park. I mentioned earlier that we wanted to knock out the long, arduous points first, saving the closer ones for later. This was PERFECT for our team. We knew where we were, we knew how far apart the points were and we knew how much farther we had to go. Saving these last 6 points for the end provided the mental boost that we needed to really pick it up and get to the Endex shortly before 5am. Course complete.
Throughout the night, we’d been keeping up with the other teams on Slack. We knew the ‘mini-mock’ teams were all done. We also knew that Teams 1, 4 & 5 were coming in from the Reservoir to finish and that Team 2 only had to come from the Falls/Murals and they would be finished. It seemed that we were all very close to completing with more than enough time to spare. It felt good to know that we’d all done it.
All in all, it was a good night. We felt that our plan worked perfectly and, although tired and sore, we were all in good spirits. While we still have some work to do, we’re going to be ready. Bring on the Starcourse
F3 Louisville 