Bacon enjoying champagne.
Photo: Mel Ortiz
I decided to ring in 2014 with a 5K run and of course with a run in costume. I wasn’t brazen enough to do the famous baby new year costume in diapers and I could only imagine the chafing. My costume choice would be something that many Portlanders would identify which was…Bacon! I am glad I went with this costume. I found the costume on the internet several months back knowing that it would be perfect for a future 5K bacon run that have been popping up in the city. The costume was very lightweight and breathable. It didn’t cover my face so that made it easy for me to run without getting hot. I decided to do a test run in my neighborhood a couple of weeks before the event to see how it would fair. I was afraid the local dogs would be at my heels seeing Bacon run through the neighborhood but to my luck there was none in sight which probably helped that I did my test run late at night.
New Year’s Eve day I stopped by the local Claire’s and bought a pair of “2014” glasses to cap off my already awesome Bacon costume. My husband and my running friends decided to meet at the race meeting spot at the World Trade Center by 11:00PM. There were some costumes there and my own friend Bola came dressed as Wonder Woman. Too bad we didn’t know about the costume contest that was happening since many runners acknowledged we both would have won something for our costumes that night. I also realized that this was a family affair and a great way for everyone to welcome 2014 in a safe and positive environment. We made our way to the start at the Waterfront and waited till the announcer gave us the queue to do the 10 second countdown to 2014. 10, 9, 8….kisses/hugs/high fives and we were off!
Left: Bacon, Center: Liz Perez, Right: Bola Majekobaje.
Photo: Mel Ortiz
The first mile was brutal because of having to maneuver around some of the walkers and drunken revelers to get to the Steel Bridge but once we past all of that then we were cooking, so to speak. Everyone kept yelling how much they loved “Bacon” and one man wanted a photo with me and I suggested as long as he can keep up with the run he can take a photo. We headed back with this 5K loop on the Hawthorne Bridge to much car honking and cheering from race fans, officials, and revelers. We could hear the announcer calling out our numbers and he even cheered for Bacon to hit the finish.
Afterwards we were rewarded with beer, hot soup, an assortment of fruits, and high protein snacks and of course water. You can stay and dance the night away at the finish line to your heart’s content. We decided to walk back to our hotel room to kick up our heels and open a bottle of champagne for a toast to 2014 and the success of Bacon!
