Run of Thrones

Run recap sent via raven: 04/20/2015

The hills of SF are not for the faint hearted. Today's run resulted in a 841ft elevation gain, just a little higher than the Wall itself, which sits at 700ft.

5 rangers set off, but only 4 returned. That’s the risk you take climbing the Craggy hills of Telegraph and Russian. A second RoT group gathered in San Francisco, CA Sunday morning to tackle the crow run. Four brave souls took the vow and conquered the hills of SF. The seven kingdoms of Westeros thank you renew_dhcp_lease, prosenconns, gemmatravels, melissabhajj, and Brian.

From the top of the hill. "I just wanted to stand on top of the Wall and piss off the edge of the world." / Tyrion

Gather the runners, a run is coming.

We've added another run for this Sunday and it's happening in San Francisco, CA. @renew_dhcp_lease will be leading a 7-mile crow run along the Embarcadero leading into Fishermans Wharf and then into the hills.

We'll be meeting up in front of Coqueta by Pier 5 and will take off at 10AM sharp. As for pace, we'll be ranging from 8'00"/mi to 8'30"/mi. If you're interested in leading a faster/slower pace group, leave a comment below.

Run recap sent via raven: 04/20/2015

Caught flying. Dragon run, done.

RoT gathered in Portland, OR yesterday and ran the dragon finishing just in time to celebrate with a few rounds of ale and the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

Tomas pouring one out for Ned Stark. RIP.

The 11-mile run covered the four corners of Portland and ended with an uphill battle in the western hills. No limbs were lost, but limbs will definitely be sore for the next few days.

Runners: Peter, Tomas, Gene

Valar dohaeris.

Gather the runners, a run is coming.

We're kicking off GoT season 5 with a 12 mile dragon run around Portland, OR. We'll be meeting up in front of R/GA Portland, which is located at 420 NW 14th ave and rolling out at 4PM sharp. This will give you enough time to get home, shower, and kick up your legs to GoT episode 2 of the new season. As for pace, we'll be running from 8'00"/mi to 8'30"/mi. If you're interested in leading faster/slower pace group, leave a comment below. 

Valar Morghulis.

April 6, 2014 The golden spear pierces the sun. Prince Oberyn of House Martell took the throne in Manhattan this morning. Runners (@fraciscv, @jbchan, @daytonleong, @geneluu) were sent to see this through and now it's time to send the ravens to all of Westeros to inform the people of the usurping. I just ran 11.2 mi @ a 8'40"/mi pace with Nike+. http://t.co/5TzfdKuzuL

Enjoy tonight's season premiere. We saw the episode through the flames of the Red Witch and it was beautiful.

March 29, 2014 Call the banners! Next Sunday, April 6th, we'll be welcoming the new GoT season by running House Martell's sigil, a gold spear piercing a red sun. We'll be meeting up at 10AM in front of the R/GA building (350 W39th St. btw 8th and 9th ave) and starting our 10.7 mile journey from there.

Under the moon, the sun, and the stars, the RoT crew got together this past weekend to kick off the new Run of Thrones running season. In celebration of the Lunar New Year and to commemorate our fallen hero, Khal Drogo, we ran the Horse.

Post-Run Notes:

Twenty-four hours ago, the people of Chicago flocked to the streets to celebrate their city in a show of pride and honor in what was to be known as the Chicago Marathon of 2013. Amidst the celebration, a lion stalked the back alleys of this Mid-Westerlands city.

Overall, this run route is pretty flat and very quick. The handful of back alleys that are involved with this run will keep you guessing as you make your way through Lincoln Park. 

TIP: If you see a direction repeated twice in the turn-by-turn directions, it's no mistake. The first turn refers to the alley your going to take in order to get to the second direction. For example, "Step 23 - Turn left toward W Menomonee St (0.1 mi). Step 24 - Turn right onto W Menomonee St." What this means is that you're going to turn onto an alley, run 0.1mi and then make a right onto Menomonee St (it's a real street name). 

As you approach the bird sanctuary at the beginning and at the tail end of this run (pun intended), be sure to have your Nike+ Running app in map mode. You'll need some live tracking to successfully draw out the tail of the lion. 

A recount of rsttm's journey as told by rsttm himself.

It should be about roaming the richest lands of Westeros.

The run literally cuts through celebrity homes, Rodeo Drive, and lush Beverly Hills 90210. Get ready for a tour of the richest lands in Westeros.

This run for House Stark begins near the more unassuming regions of La Brea, but once started you'll quickly find yourself amongst Lannisters! You'll begin zigzagging along the smaller streets as you climb your way up hill into higher elevation, the grand vista behind you quickly increasing, provided the valley isn't filled with dragon smog.

Once you've reached Sunset Blvd, you'll enjoy a steady segment of about 4mi as you roll your way into the legendary hills of Beverly. You'll likely see few other adventurers out on a run, but expect to see several Lamborghini chariots, black Hummers, and tourist buses. Fear not however, you're about to venture back into lower elevations.

Crossing through Beverly Gardens Park diagonally you'll form the fang of your direwolf's sigil; you'll need the boost for you're about to enter Rodeo Drive. Making your way through the lands of luxury is quickly over if you time all the lights and avoid the bands of tourist thieves along the Kings Road. You'll soon be back into more rural lands as you round out the last leg of your journey.

Make Ned and Cat proud, run it for Bran and Rob. Winter is coming.

The following was sent to us via raven from @usama_hajj.

August 25, 2013 A perfect run for a foggy day. Starting from the top of Golden Gate park, you run north, watching the houses slowly get more expensive as you approach the Billionaire's Row in Seacliff. Check out the mansions, dodge the luxury SUVs, and then find yourself in the Presidio. Keep your eyes open for the turnoff for the Battery Bluffs trail, and soon you'll forget you're in SF.

The tide was low, so ran along the beach all the way to Fort Point and realized that there's a lot of fencing between where we were and the rest of the route. Ignored some no trespassing signs, explored the base of the Golden Gate bridge, hopped a fence, and were back on track.

Presidio is super-tricky to run in – keep that map handy and expect a wrong turn or three. Climb some hills, follow some trails, backtrack once or twice, and then you're back in the city for a rolling two miles back to the park. San Francisco runs for Cat.

Bonus Vine https://vine.co/v/hiKPAW6uA6z 

August 7, 2013 Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, you now have a home in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy the microbreweries, the coffee, the bicycles, and everything weird that the city has to offer. Welcome, our queen.

Our Nike+ GPS Run: http://go.nike.com/07dr2ldo

Prior to the run... T-minus 2 hours until we head out for the Targaryen run and there's a "Fire Weather Watch" happening somewhere in Oregon. It's not a coincidence. The dragons are here.

July 21, 2013

"Unsullied! Slay the masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who holds a whip, but harm no child. Strike the chains off every slave you see!"– Daenerys Targaryen, Sack of Astapor

You saw what she did in Astapor, right? Joining the Mother of Dragons is probably the best way to go. The last thing you would want to hear is "Dracarys!".

August 6, 2013 1150 feet.

That's the elevation you'll ascend as you conquer the twin towers of House Frey. San Francisco's founding fathers didn't let anything as silly as topography disturb the street grid, so you will find yourself climbing Cathedral, Russian, and Nob Hills, along with multiple climbs in Pacific Heights. With a little urban obstacle course of the Tenderloin thrown in.

Run it clockwise, do it on a foggy day, and lift those legs. Brunch afterwards required. —@usama_hajj

The Group's Nike+ GPS Run: http://swoo.sh/13pvKOH

August 2, 2013 Another amazing pre-planned run by @usama_hajj out in the Bay area. Today, we have granted him the title of the "Royal Stig." He's giving us a run for the money with these shorter, but highly detailed runs.

Usama has assembled a small alliance and will be starting their run from the corner of Golden Gate Ave and Divisadero St this Sunday (August 4th) at 8AM. If you happen to be in SF, run with them and join the ranks as lords of the Western realm.

August 4, 2013 Started the run this morning hustling through Junction Blvd in Jackson Heights, NY. People were setting up for today's Ecuadorian festival and the whiff of corn and BBQ was in the air. It was still too early for me for food. Coffee?!

Overall, the run was quick. The beginning involved a lot of short segments and turns. Popping in and out of side streets for the first 30 minutes and I was already at mile 4. The turns had kept me distracted.

Around mile 7, the hills started trickling in as I made my way back up through Corona, Queens. I started to catch glimpses of the 7 train overhead and next thing I knew, I was back at the starting point.

One thing to call out from this run is the passage way that leads you from Whitney Ave to 88th Street. I missed it completely and ended up running right through the bear's neck. Don't make this mistake!

My Nike+ GPS Run 2nd Attempt http://go.nike.com/de39v6

1st Attempt http://swoo.sh/17sfhdp

August 3, 2013 With Jeor Mormont commanding the Night's Watch and his son Jorah playing tag along with Daenrys Targaryen, House Mormont's presence is lacking in the realm. Tomorrow (08/03), the bear walks the realm.

The SF Stark run as told by @usama_hajj

Quintessential SF run – views, tourists, hill climbs (x2), North Beach, Chinatown, FiDi, SOMA, and the Embarcadero.

Make the Ferry Building your Winterfell and get a mile warm up before assaulting the neighborhoods of Telegraph Hill. Capture Coit Tower, do some urban downhilling past confused visitors, run in the traffic to get past the crowds of shoppers in Chinatown. Climb the south side of telegraph again. Congrats, half way there. On the weekend, the city is your own through the flats of FiDi and SOMA – pace should be good if you don't get lost (like I did). Back to the Embarcadero, a loop around a park, and it's time for some ice cream.

July 19, 2013 With temperatures soaring up to 90°F earlier this morning, I'm not exactly sure how we finished the House Stark run. For a moment, I could have sworn that we were somewhere in Astapor. 2.5 hours and 14.65 miles later, we found ourselves where we started, at the gate of Cypress Hill cemetery. Finished. Done. Gatorade never tasted so good. A challenge well fought. Ned would be proud.

Over the course of 15 miles, we discovered the mansions of Forest Hills, realized that all cicadas were in Queens, came across a printed article of Run of Thrones while getting water at a Duane Reade, and met the superintendent of Cypress Hill Cemetery who was expecting to see us after reading about our plans of running through his cemetery on Daily News.

We would also like to thank journalist Clare Trapasso for doing the story on us. Without those Daily News related moments mentioned above, I don't think we would have finished the run. Cheers!

The Night Before the Run Updated the run route to start right outside of Cypress Hill Cemetery. This should set us up for our 5:30AM run tomorrow. By the time we work our way around, the sun will be up and the cemetery will be open (8AM). For Ned!

Lord Stark. There are five pups. One for each of the Stark children. The Dire Wolf is the sigil of your house. They were meant to have them. – Jon Snow

Our first run submission by Usama_Hajj. Bonus points for the level of detail for a sub-5 mile run including that figure 8! Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. 

Usama also left some tips if you choose to do this run in SF.

Don't run it at night and there are tons of good brunch places along the route.

July 13, 2013 16 miles and 2 hours and 47 minutes later...

Lord Commander Mormont, we have surveyed the lands of Brooklyn and it's safe to say that there were no White Walkers to be found. – The Night's Watch reporting from Brooklyn

July 10, 2013 A Crow has not only made its way into a group of Wildlings, but also into the heart of Brooklyn. This Saturday (7/13), the Night's Watch begins at 8:30AM. It might be early for some, but we're trying to avoid any encounters with the White Walkers.

Our journey starts at the Grand Army Plaza and we'll be trekking 18 long and lazy miles through various parts of Brooklyn. If you think you'll be pulling a Samwell Tarly, it'd be best that you have the turn-by-turn directions on you.

Now take the oath so that you won't have to recite it at the starting line.

July 3, 2013 @rsttm, @HaywoodJabroni, and I conquered the Half Baratheon on this warm, muggy night. Fortunately, the storm that had passed earlier this evening helped clear the streets, which made the 16 miler a bit more bearable. The kicker is that it did flood some parts of the run route, but hey, we improvised. Happy 4th of July folks!

Our GPS Run: http://swoo.sh/19VsuPk

June 26, 2013 Although it was an early and groggy start, the Tully 10K was refreshing. There was very little doubling back during the run and it involved frequent stops. This was a walk (run?) in the park compared to House Greyjoy.

If you're visiting NYC any time soon, this is the route to run as it takes you through several parts of Manhattan and even leads you by Nike's 21 Mercer store.

The Run: http://go.nike.com/2poenbc

June 25, 2013 A group of us are meeting up to do the Tully 10K tomorrow morning (06/26) 8AM at the corner of 5th and 32nd. The route cuts through Flatiron, Chelsea, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, and then heads back up to Midtown. Very excited!