Cracking the Oyster

It's been almost two weeks since Team Cupcake Mafia cracked the Merrell Denver Oyster and I still smile when I think about how much fun we had. It was a gorgeous blue skies Colorado day and Mary, Tali and I were all ready to race.



I saw more new to me places in Denver in the 6 hours and 30 minutes it took us to complete the course than I've seen in the almost 3 years I lived here. What a great way to see the city! We covered more than 30 miles on foot and on our bikes.

Our day included an early morning kidnapping, searching for public art, making guacamole at Chipotle (sounds easy - try doing it zip tied to 2 other people!), visiting the Pepsi Center, riding an absolutely insane ride (note to self: look at the NAME of the ride before deciding to ride it...if the name includes Chaos, keep on walking) at Elitch Gardens, kicking some goals at DU, eating cupcakes, riding scooters and playing beer pong. And we climbed a lot of stairs. A LOT. Phew. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.





I love this next photo...it was taken by the race photographer right after we had overtaken another team in our division. The intense competitiveness really came out. The thing I love most about the photo is that we're all looking in the completely wrong direction of what we were supposed to be looking for. We did find it shortly after the photo was taken.



Our support team Phil, Joe and Monica were incredible. They made sure we had everything we needed throughout the race and they were key to helping us figure out where we needed to go. They also set up our awesome transition area.



We ended up in 4th place in our division, which makes me incredibly proud. We certainly weren't the fastest team out on the course, but we worked so well together and enjoyed every step of the way. Next year we'll be aiming for a podium finish!

And we also raised a lot of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Team Cupcake Mafia's grand total was $2605. Wow. We were recognized as one of the top fundraising teams and I was also recognized as one of the top individual fundraisers. The total money raised will make the wishes of three very deserving kids come true. I hope those kids have as much fun with their wish as we did at the Oyster. Thanks to everyone who helped us make this happen!

I can't wait until next year!

You can also read Tali's recap of the race on her blog.

Do you want to be a part of the Cupcake Mafia? We have some extras of our team tank tops and one could be yours for $30 (includes shipping). The shirts are a bamboo blend so they are super soft and they are great for the gym.

The front of the shirt:


The back, which lists the names of some of our awesome donors. And the ball of yarn and needles represents all of the knitters who made donations!



We have 1 small, 1 medium, 3 Large and 1 XL. If you're interested in purchasing a shirt, send me an email at lynnazimmermanATmacDOTcom.