The (Not So) Fun Run

Readers, I apologize. I wasn’t entirely honest with you in my last post. I didn’t go to Istanbul purely for its historical value.

I know. I’m ashamed.

Many of us Fulbrighters made the journey last weekend for the opportunity to participate in this:

Yeah, but not the marathon. Half of us did the fun run. Why? Because this is one of the few marathons in the world that’s considered an intercontinental event.

Intercontinental.

INTERCONTINENTAL.

You guys, I walked from Asia to Europe. Over the Bosporus Bridge… I woke up in Europe, had breakfast in Asia, and made it back to Europe by lunchtime.

Is that awesome or is that awesome?

Sure, at first we thought “awesome” too. See all of the fun to have been had below:

 

Where we got dropped off for the run comprised of fun!

FELLOW FUN-RUNNERS!

I can only hope this is a channel dedicated to Jack Bauer and
keeping tabs on his whereabouts at all times.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

 The fun run had it all! Balloons, headbands, wild Turks, wild yabancilar! It was so great! The news was there! They handed free stuff out!

These people are having so much fun!

Alyson's new BFFs.
I can't look at this picture and not laugh. 

The Bosporus! This is just great.

YOU GUYS, LOOK HOW MUCH FUN I'M HAVING.

Back in Europe! So much fun!

 

Then, it started to rain.

Want to know what makes a fun run no longer fun after the first twenty minutes? When it starts to pour as you’re crossing the Bosporus. On foot.

Regardless.

It was still fun. It was the kind of fun you can only have when you’re miserable with people who are also miserable and you can’t do anything but laugh at the miserable situation in which you put yourself.

Let me also say that rain ruins everything. For a frame of reference, Istanbul floods just like Glassboro: it gives you no goddamn warning that your footwear is inadequate until you’re ankle deep in some phantom puddle that just jumped into your path.

Either way, I still had fun. We saw some wild characters, we were probably on television, Alyson and I risked our lives for free Turkish flags (which I later lost anyway). We saw some cool stuff.

And when else am I going to be able to say I walked from Europe to Asia and crossed the Bosporus Bridge on foot? Never, that’s when.

I’m not mad about it.

Russell, on the other hand, looks pissed.