The Most Runderful Time of the Beer

'Twas the race before Christmas and down by the shore,

The naughty and nice were all running once more.

Surfin’ Santa this year had a new theme,

And naughty or nice was the name of your team.

The nice had green shirts, the naughty wore red,

Though many wore wonderful costumes instead.

I saw Santa and Rudolph and Cindy Lou Who.

The Grinch even made an appearance or two.

The weather was perfect, a bit overcast,

And the rain had just stopped and had dried up at last.

The walk from my new home to the starting line,

Was merely nine minutes, and I made that just fine.

The race started off with a shout and a cheer,

With a huge crowd of runners thinking of beer.

Crowds lined the street in holiday togs,

They waved and they cheered when past them we’d jog.

The bars on this weekend have drinks and great food

For all the young revelers in a holiday mood.

I set a slow pace when I realized in fear,

That I hadn’t run much, if any this year.

My weight was the highest it had been on a run,

And pounding the pavement at this weight’s no fun.

I settled in to a pace that was slowmo,

The music on my phone was by Perry Como.

I shuffled and slogged to the end of the land,

And on to the boardwalk with lights that are grand.

And like every year they’re a very fine sight

Shimmering, glimmering all through the night.

The boardwalk is flat, and at my slow pace,

‘twas the easiest stretch in all of the race.

We ran 25 streets before turning back

Out on the road that was broken and cracked.

We turned on 19th and the very last mile,

People sped up and I only smiled.

The finish is not where the race had begun

Another half mile would need to be run.

The folks who sped up had needed to slow

When they all found around the whole building we’d go.

But we finished all well and in a good mood,

I gathered my swag and went to find food.

The chili was decent and meaty and hot

And took off the chill, and that helped a lot.

I acquired my wrist band so I could get beer,

But when I went looking, I faced my worst fear.

The line for the beer stretched far out of sight

Reason enough to bid a goodnight.

The walk to my house was easy enough,

But getting upstairs when I got there was tough.

A popular race, the crowds have grown large,

But it’s perfectly managed by the people in charge.

My only suggestion for this time next year,

For the love of God people, add kiosks for beer!