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The cruise-a-thong was a huge success with over forty participants hailing from as far away as phoenix, boulder, and even Tennessee. Our best costume award went to Chris Petri from Eldorado Springs, CO. Best tube/bike combo went to the "Enchilada County Choppers" team from Pagosa. Most Flare went to John Morrisson of Durango, and "Hottest thong" went to Mary Kurt-Mason and Juanalee Parks of Pagosa. Lisa Morrison won the standard mean time and Christa Munro was the Median time. Who is most average is open to semantic debate. All of our participants braved torrential rain, muddy waters, and near hypothermia. To even compete for being the 2007 average Joe required being way above average. It was all made possible by loyal participants, dedicated volunteers, sponsors that go above and beyond, and the Town Tourism Committee. Thank You.
The Cruise-a-Thong can be best understood with a tounge-in-cheek reading of the mission statement and rules shown here and taken from the Cruise-a Thong website.
THE CRUISE-A-THONG is a triathlon designed for the not-quite-hardcore athlete in all of us. The course will take approximately two hours and will include a cruiser bike tour of downtown Pagosa Springs, a thong (flip-flop) walk up the almost world famous Pagosa Springs Riverwalk and a tubing trip back down the San Juan River. The Winner will be the participant with the most average time taking into account bonus points for consumption of edibles, the subjective preferences of the judges, gears on the race bike in excess of 1, and any sandals lost during the race. There will be comfort stations at strategic points during the course. Participants ar encouraged to bring their own beverages as the regular consumption of liquids is vital to a racer’s well-being. Support crews are tolerated but must arri ve to the Park a minimum of two hours before start time for a race briefing. The exact route will be published a week before the race and is subject to last minute changes. Team entry is also available – a maximum of three individuals may compete.
Rules:
1. All participants must start with an equal number of thongs as they have feet. Any sandals lost during the race will result in a point deduction for the participant and a severe scolding about the horrors of littering.
2. Tubes may be any inflatable device that lacks a method of propulsion besides the body parts of the rider.
3. Bikes may be any two-wheeled human powered device, although single speed ‘cruiser bikes’ are preferred. Participants with more than one gear will be penalized accordingly.
4. Costumes may be worn at the racer’s discretion but their issued sweat band must be visible at all times.
5. Flip-Flop (Thong) sandals may be any sandal that does not have a heel strap.
