This weekend I got the most delightful surprise in the mail.
Patrick got back from his nightly check-the-mail-walk with our dog, Ash, on Saturday and presented me with an envelope:
“I think Katie sent you earrings.”
Yes, he’s a stinker like that. A keen observer, and very good at connecting dots, Patrick noticed the shapeliness of the envelope, the return address from our talented artisan friend, and nailed it.
(But I was totally surprised when he said it.)
And delighted to actually open it! Here’s an excerpt from her accompanying card:
“I thought you needed a Katie Coons pair of earrings to match your belt buckle. :) They are copper with silver ear wires—the mountains are melted silver-plated spoons. I think the color combo may be a good match; it can remind you of Texas hills and New England sunsets. :) ”
I put them on right away, of course.
And wore them the next day to church.
And I’m wearing them now as I write.
I’m sure I’ll find an excuse to wear them with my belt buckle very soon.
Thanks, Katie!
Guess who else I heard from?
The race director of Tejas Trails was kind enough to answer a few of my questions surrounding the ultra belt buckle tradition.
My original post on the topic wondered when and how the buckle award moved from the Western States Endurance Run to other ultra events. While Chris McWatters didn’t have any intel for me on that particular question, he did engage me on this concept of buckles being awarded for sub-100-mile efforts.
Bandera 100k has been handing out buckles since its inception in 2003. The race director of Tejas Trails at the time, Joe Prusaitis, decided that because Bandera was such a tough course, that this 100k’s finishers deserved a buckle. Tejas Trails has been giving them out to finishers at this race ever since—as well as at their other 100k events.
The current race director is happy to follow in Joe’s footsteps, keeping the awards as they are, but states that his personal preference would be to only award belt buckles for the 100 mile distance and up.
It’s pretty safe to say that Tejas Trails won’t be creating buckle awards for any sub-100k distance in the near future.
Personally, I like this standard.
There’s a part of me that agrees with Chris—why not reserve them for just the 100 mile and up distances?
But then there’s the part of me that really likes this 100k buckle . . .
So, thanks, Joe!
I’m honored to be a 100k finisher and belt buckle recipient.