Dawn on the Run

September 5th marked the official beginning of the Calgary Corporate Challenge. To start the event companys have team members carry the “torch” a few blocks in the city handing it off to the next team until it reaches Eau Claire for the lighting and the Kick off Pep Rally.

I went into the office briefly that morning dressed in casual clothes. That Friday was our day off but I opted to catchup for an hour or so while all was quiet. Besides it gave me a place to change into my toga. Yes, I said toga. This year’s event them was “Athleticus Maximus”. So our spirit team opted with blue togas as our outfits. Oh yeah, did I mention I was the “Spirit Team Coordinator”. I bet you’re surprised I didn’t go with pink togas…lol. Trust me the thought did occur to me but heh, the company colors are blue so I played it safe.

Anyhow after cleaning up emails and such I switched into my toga and headed down the elevator. Now while my company doesn’t work on Friday, lots of others do so yes I got some strange looks as I walked from my office building to the C-Train. Togas are not a common outfit seen on the streets of Calgary. And yes a few did ask “What’s with the toga?” So I explained what I was up to and smiled.

It was a short ride on the C-Train to the meeting point for where I would collect the torch from the team handing it off. Another team was to join me there but there was no sign of any other togas anywhere. Now there are often some interesting people hanging out in that area of the city but for some reason I was the most interesting…lol. I got some odd looks, some smiles and a few comments. My favorite was “Love the outfit” followed by “you look like a goddess”. That made my day. Funny no one but me that is even noticed the young girl that went by in purple hair and yelow tights.

Finally the other team arrived. Thankfully they too were wearing togas. There was 4 of them and only one of me, oh well. Funny thing as the cop car pulled up that was leading us torch bearers I faintly hear the passenger say “heh that’s …yup it’s Pink Chick”…lol. She knew for sure when she saw the little pink bag. That’s my camera bag by the way. Hmmm should I be worried when even the cops know who I am???

We were handed our torches then off and running. Oops no one said anything about running. My leg was still giving me grief so it was definitely a challenge. As with any running, it wasn’t long before the others were miles, okay blocks ahead of me.

The distance was only half a dozen blocks or so but seemed like forever. I switched hands with the torch a few times. That thing was a tad heavy. Thank goodness it didn’t rain like it had threatened. It was actually a pretty nice day. There was a guy on the bike beside me. He offered to hold the torch a few times but heh, that was my role so I hung on. I also could have sat in the van behind but you know me, I don’t give up. I’m just a stubborn woman…lol. Besides I was used to being at the back of the pack. Running through downtown traffic was definitely a different experience! And yes, I’ll do it again next year.

After handing of my torch to the next team I headed towards Eau Claire where I found lots more teams and lots more togas. I found my team members and helped gather stickers. Oh yeah, each team gets a sticker board to fill. The goal is to get a sticker from every team participating in the games. It’s a great opportunity for flirting mingling with others. There was also a free BBQ lunch. The big torch got lit and the games were kicked off.

Our team went to the local pub for a few after and then it was time to head home. Spending the day in a toga had been a lot of fun!

More photos over at my Flickr site.