BRITNEY ENCOUNTER

Originally posted Sunday, February 24, 2008

I was heading home from a long run the other day when I passed 2 young ladies who were walking 2 small dogs. I noticed that one of these ladies had long, jet-black hair under a short billed cap with rather expensive-looking, large sunglasses. She was dressed in black sweats and… being a guy, it did not escape me that she had a cute figure and a pretty face under the hair, hat and glasses. I wasn’t a few feet past when it occurred to me that this young lady looked an awful lot like Britney Spears. Did I mention I live one block from the Millennium Dance Complex, where she studies and is currently teaching dance to children?

About a minute passed before it occurred to me that Britney could be a tremendous asset to our project, so I turned around and headed back. Of course she was nowhere to be seen. I ran to the park, figuring they might have gone there to walk the dogs. I spotted them on the far side of the park and ran in the opposite direction of the looped path in order to approach them from the front. I prepared my spiel and hoped for the best.

When we met, I introduced myself and told them about our Run. The Britney look-alike could not have been any nicer. She was polite, friendly, acknowledged the Hospital as a worthy charity, and when I told her we were collecting quotes of encouragement, she laughed and said, “Good luck, run hard.” I thanked them and went on my way.

Ok, I know what you are thinking: jet-black hair, floppy hat and big sunglasses, how do I know it was really her? I’m glad you asked that question.

The next morning, I’m on the phone with Marlo Thomas’ office. I’m telling my “Britney story” to Marlo’s assistant who tells me that she had seen photos of Britney online the previous day and confirmed that Britney was dressed in the exact manner I had described. So, case closed. We have our first celebrity quote…

“Good luck, run hard” ~ Britney Spears.

Thank you all for your support. We have been incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful people join the St. Jude Run Team, and I want to let you know how much we appreciate your enthusiasm. We look forward to working with you to make this a most successful endeavor.

Keep on Truckin'
Duffy