A story about me cutting in front of a train in a marathon

[Beyond the Bets]

From the Buffalo News, May 30, 2010:

The organizers for the Buffalo Marathon spent months trying to prepare for every possible contingency.

And then, a train shows up.

Sunday's race featured the guest appearance of a freight train at the 11-mile mark, affecting the marathon and half-marathon.

"We were running along and we saw the train coming," Mike Curry of West Seneca said. "We realized there was no way that we were going to beat the train to the crossing. A couple of guys tried, which was amazingly dangerous.

"After a moment, we all kind of thought, "Why are we running? As soon as we get to the train, we're going to have stop anyway.' So we started walking. It affected about 100, 150 people."

* * *

Now, the unfortunate part: I got drunk and had chinese food the night before the marathon. The REAL reason why I attempted to beat the train had nothing to do with saving approximately 2 ½ minutes off my time, but rather, because I desperately needed to find a bathroom.

I ran 14 miles and then walked off.

[Beyond the Bets]

Eighteen months later, I still blame Casino Niagara's Sesame Chicken for my failed attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Well, that, and the nine rum & cokes.