Souped Up

souped-up;

to improve the capacity for speed or increase the efficiency of by increasing the richness of the fuel mixture of the efficiency of the fuel; to give spirit or vivacity to; enliven

Exactly when the actual New Years Day E Streeters Soup Run™ officially began has been lost to the annals of time.  If this blog is any indication, it has notched at least a decade of January Firsts, sacrificing countless bowls of chicken stew and vegetable gumbo to the running gods.

Whatever its origin, one thing is for sure - as sure as the 12 foot wide, 11,875 pound geodesic Waterford Crystal ball descends to the screaming throngs awaiting its arrival in Times Square, NYC, so too, does the soup on Dunstable Road, Westford, fill the empty stomachs of E Street Nation, courtesy of John Piekos and Karen Cambray.

This year, the run came with its own menu, complete with a series of choices being offered at First Run Kitchen ©  Points off for no valet parking options.

Also, in this technological age in which we prosper, we have multiple satellite-authenticated course options of varying distances to choose from

All of those best laid menus and maps would be thrown out the windows with a series of audibles, as this year's crew decided instead to order off the Specials menu and extend the course by a mile or two.

This day, we weren't just celebrating the unseasonable 55 degree warm temperatures, we were also celebrating the fact that John's driveway did not mirror its Iditerod ice flumes of years gone by.

To commemorate the occasion, we let John take the lead and set the pace for the run.

It would be a short-lived lead, as Tommy, knowing of the Town Line that lie ahead, made his move immediately.

Ben was already celebrating the multiple bowls of soup he knew awaited him at run's end

These two siblings made a New Year's Resolution to smile all through their runs

Alas, Tommy would not prove victorious in his quest for the First Run First Blood.  And as anyone who runs with the E Streeters knows, if there's no picture, the victory didn't happen.

Luckily, we had multiple cameras at our disposal.  And cameras don't lie.

Okay Ben, we know.  There's soup waiting for us at the end.

Throughout the year's 365 days, there'll be hundreds of runs notched by this stalwart group.

None however, usually compete with this course in terms of the hills required to scale. (Vertical and horizontal shots stand ready to document the mileage)

You are my sunshine, Heather 

The Founders of the Feast 

And....they've already broken their New Year's Resolution.

Did I mention hills?

Barry snagged some great shots on the course, from a unique vantage point.  No truth to the rumors it was because he had collapsed on the roadway from exhaustion after scaling these White Mountain foothills.

Exactly one year ago, Heather was winging her way to London, there to partake in a semester abroad and some unforgettable times with our UK comrades-in-arms.

This day, she was just happy to give a shoutout to the Union Jack we spotted along the way.

What's that U2 song about Elevation?

Back at Dunstable Road, the Deadpool began anew, and the bowls of soup were as plentiful as the tales of Town Line victories of Yore.

Another New Year, another opportunity to pause for a moment and just celebrate the fact that again, we're all still relatively healthy, and able to gather for events like this to share an abundance of inappropriate jokes and recount laughs that encompass stories spanning more than three decades of this motley crew souping up.

I've said it frequently on this blog, and will continue to write it for as long as possible - we're fortunate on so many fronts to have such a loyal and dependable group of friends who've been there through thick and thin for one another.

Running just happens to issue the clarion call that often brings us together in one place - well, that, and soup - but it's important to use opportunities like the start of a New Year to pause and take stock of everything - and everyone - who's been around to celebrate all the years gone by with us as well.

On to 2019, and, I'm sure, dozens more group runs and hundreds more off-color jokes.

To E Streeters, far and wide, including those who either aren't too fond of running, or couldn't make it to Soup Run 2019, here's to you!

As I stated up top, getting souped up is defined as increasing the capacity for speed, the richness of the fuel, to give spirit to, to enliven.

Yeah, that pretty much describes us E Streeters.

One final shot - in which Ben apparently broke the news to Andrew about soup waiting for us at the end of the run!