‘Twas the fourteenth of December
When at eight AM sharp
Everyone in the area
Descended to North Meade Park
Whether laying the wreaths
Or for a long run
The whole town was awake
With an adventure to come
But first some announcements
While everyone shivered
I tried to be quick!
Get information delivered
Then off with a gallop
And over to Key
Waving goodbye to Rosslyn
And their gold-purple tree
Down M Street and Penn
With everyone Merry
Talking about future races
And training in January
Then the White House tree
The first of the lot
And finally some sunshine
The temps far from hot
Up to the Willard
But not into the lobby
Where the first lobbyists met
When that was more of a hobby
Next up to the nutcrackers
As we all squeezed in tight
For a fantastic photographer
With a good camera sight
Thanks to Rodrigo and Big Guy
For handling all the pics
The club’s looking great
Everyone’s outfits were slick
The train sweaters were fitting
For the front and caboose
Keeping the big group together
And our legs far from loose
Then to city center
With a beer can the star
Balancing a phone for the picture
As volunteers were quite far
“Did you write yesterday’s poem
With the help of AI”
Not that one not this one
And I’d never even try
Down Massachusetts
And to Union stationÂ
Which once again had the best
Holiday decoration
The rotunda was perfect
As we all paused in awe
But there was more running to do
And more trees to be saw
We rounded the Hill
As the weather warmed up
And my heart was so happy
Yes this filled my cup
From the Ironman athletes
To the 2:30 marathoners
To the marathon trainees
Not one person was a goner
We hit up the Capitol
For the second to last tree
Then a special request
For a bonus you see
Yes Cecile did yell
“Let’s ho to the garden”
For a Charlie Brown tree
And who was I to bargain
A bonus this year
That we’ll add to the lot
Only a short extra
For those whose legs were shot
At last we rounded out
In Heather’s hometown
Yes the Canadian Embassy
Left not one single frown
Another year done
And a great speech from Big Guy
It’s his last before Austin
And miss him not we’ll try
But we’ll fail of course
For he’s a club staple
A stupendous dude
And a bit of a fable
After that we departed
And split up the crew
A small group of us
Choosing a bonus tree or two
First at the wharf
With slightly smaller nutcrackers
And nice glass ornaments
For the more mileage tackers
Then the last tree of all
Or a stack of barrels
Of our second favorite Jack
The run done with no perils
Yes the Peruski newlyweds
(Isn’t that sweet)
For the first run in a while
Both stayed on two feet
Another year finished
With memories and fun
Hope you had a great time
At the Christmas Tree Run!
For the newcomers
We meet every Saturday at 8
Come back anytime!
Then give your dues to Nate
Have a great rest of your day
And soak up that sun!
Happy Holidays to all!
And to all a good run!
Anna
