Open Sources | Rodrigues & Urlocker » (Sort of) Open Source (Half) Marathon

August 31, 2007 | Comments: (0)

(Sort of) Open Source (Half) Marathon

TAGS: Off Topic

Ok, this is definitely off topic, but...

There's a podcast I listen to regularly called Phedipidations. If that name rings a bell, maybe it's because you're a runner. If not, maybe you want to skip the rest of this posting.

At any rate, Steve Runner, a Network Analyst who produces Phedipidations weekly, along with a few of his 10 listeners ;-) are organizing the second annual Phedipidations Half Marathon Challenge. It's a race that takes place more-or-less around October 13-14 in whatever location you like. The cost? Zero. Nada. Zip. Just sign up. Run the race. And then post your results. If you want to raise funds for a charity you can do that, but there's no obligation.

If you're looking for an excuse to train for a half marathon, or even a 5k, this is a nice way to get motivated and meet friends online. There are over 500 people signed up from more than 30 countries worldwide. There are also training plans available on line, forums and plenty of friendly runners to encourage you.

October 14 is also the time of several other half and full marathons around the world, so if you want to run along with a group at an organized road race, you can do that too. I plan on running the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and I hope to talk a few MySQLers into running with me. Whether in San Jose or at their own home location.

Strictly speaking, Phedipidations and the WorldWide Half Marathon aren't really Open Source according to the OSI definition, but I think there's some parallels here: It's a distributed community-led grassroots project that's free of charge. And it's pretty cool. What more could you ask for? If you're not ready to run a 5k or Half Marathon but are still interesting in running, check out the Phedip podcast. You can get it on itunes, podshow, or direct at www.steverunner.com.

Posted by Zack Urlocker on August 31, 2007 09:23 AM

RATE THIS ARTICLE: