...And so it begins - Lottery, friends and tutus.

12.6%. Infinitely better than Powerball, but still not the kind of odds you double down on. So with the comfort of knowing there was no chance my name was getting drawn and soiling my shorts, we joined a bunch of GOATz at Mamma's Pizza for the Western States lottery drawing. 

If you're not familiar with the lottery, there are roughly 270 available spots open to people who run a qualifying race (Rocky Raccoon 100 this year, Lean Horse 100 last year for me). If you qualify one year and are not drawn, but qualify/enter in consecutive years, your "tickets" are cumulative. Some people have tried unsuccessfully for 5 straight years to get in. 2704 people, 4307 tickets (2 were mine) , here we go.

We watched the internet feed of the drawing live on the big screen, with one window on the actual drawing and the second on a scrolling list of winning names. With only the laptop speakers to hear and a lot of noise, we basically waited to see the names scroll by on the second screen. Up to #75 and.....no, not me, but it was our friend Shannon McFarland from Rogers, AR (4 tickets). A lot of pizza and small talk, when Miguel and Kaci yell Ron Ruhs! Ron Ruhs! I look at the screen, and there is NO Ron Ruhs! Ron Ruhs! Miguel walks over and hands me a Western States arm band and says you got in. My reply is quit jacking around because somebody is going to get hit if you're messing with me. After an agonizing couple of minutes, the list gets caught up to the live drawing and there it is!













In case you're wondering what Ohhhh sh*t, it seemed like a good idea at the time looks like, it's suspiciously just like this.

Luckily no one needed to get slugged. It was official - lottery winner #154. While this really wasn't registering, we continued to watch as there were several GOATz trying to get in. Unfortunately no others were drawn, but our good buddy Dave Cockman from NC slid in at #248.

The bad thing about thinking there is no possible way your name will get drawn is that you say things like "JDP, if I get in, I'll wear a tutu you make me for the entire race". This will be by far the hardest race I have ever done and I'm thankful for my loving wife (Beautiful Wifey, or here after known as the BW) and all my friends who have already offered help in various ways.

In the words of the man who started it all:

People just don't get the chance to do something epic anymore. But each and every person that starts this race will have an epic adventure.
-Gordy Ainsleigh

Sluggo, a tutu "with skulls" and so it begins.......