Dumpster Dash

Gregory beats Dave in Th 5/22/08 Dumpster Dash

The race is 100 yards down the hill to touch the dumpster on the left, then back uphill to the starting line. Jeremy is the starter and timer. Chrissy is the photographer. Aaron is the downhill traffic guard.

Jeremy (yellow shirt) is standing at the finish line. Gregory has just crossed it. Dave is at his maximum possible closing speed.

Gregory (21) beat "Dumpster Dave" (62.5) by about 2.5 seconds in a running of the Dumpster Dash Thursday evening, 5/22/08. Gregory's official time was 33.5 seconds, well off the record of 27.5 seconds set by 32-year-old Tate in 92-degree heat last summer.

Gregory played football in basketball in HS and is now preparing to join the Navy. His comment on beating a guy almost 3 times his age by 2.5 seconds: "I've got to get in better shape."

See the embedded video of the race in the continuation, if interested.

Tate, David, and Declan (photos added)

About 6:30PM DST on Tuesday, 29MAY2007, 32-year-old Tate (a lean, trim amateur boxer with a Marine cut), 61.5-year-old David (aka "Dumpster Dave" -- with thinning, receding hair, a slumped back and too large a gut), and 9-year-old Declan (Chris' son, and the youngest to have run the DD thusfar) ran the Dumpster Dash. Chris elected not to run.

Details (now with photos) are in the continuation

Jenny, Logan and David 5/3/07

On Thursday, 5/3/07; 38-year-old Logan ("the intense computer guy") challenged 61.5 year-old David (aka "Dumpster Dave") to a Dumpster Dash. 30-year-old Jenny ("Carma VW") joined in, with a little urging.

Jenny took off like a jack rabbit like the thin youngster she is; opened a big lead going down the hill; but later noted she feared falling forward onto the pavement. She elected to walk back up the hill. David had to run faster than he liked down hill to stay within 15 yards of her.

Logan did a premature burst on the nearly flat part of the track, passing David about 10 yards in front of the dumpster, and beating him at the turn by 2-3 steps.

Logan later confided he'd used the wrong strategy in bursting early. He ran out of steam heading back. David passed Logan about where the course begins to get steep, and widened the lead to maybe 10 yards at the finish.

The official time was 34.79 seconds. David was surprised it was that low, as the fastest recorded time thus far is 32.X seconds by a guy in his late 20s or early 30s.

It was a clean race (no bumping) and participants and viewers enjoyed it.

David quickly spent his $10 "Dash Cash" winnings (donated by the sponsoring Corner Pub) buying rounds for Logan and the onlooking regulars.

UPDATE: Logan sent in the images taken using his camera or cell phone. See the start below and four more in the continuation.

Free-for-all dumpster dash 21APR2007

Friday evening, one of the best dumpster dashes ever sprang up almost extemporaneously.

About 7PM, David (61) challenged Matt (34) to a race, just to spur interest in the DD, not delusional that he could outrun a guy about half his age.

As the regulars began shouting "Dumpster Dash," about a half dozen others (including one teenage boy) joined David and Matt on the starting line. Many in the pub moved to the deck to see the race.

The younger guys took off full speed down the hill.  On reaching the flat part, and finding himself behind, Matt (a Marine) kicked off at least one of his pointed-toe cowboy boots, which went about 12 feet up in the air.

On the way back up, Matt poured on the coals and won easily.  David passed Anthony before the finish line, but a good 30 yards behind Matt. Since the race was completely undocumented, the exact order of finish cannot be stated, and no official time was kept.

The important thing is that everyone had a great time running and/or watching.

Perhaps we should have a free-for-all run every Tuesday and Thursday (the regular days for the DD).

The Matt vs JT (32) race is tentatively scheduled for a week from Tuesday, and should be a good one!

Photos & video from 3/29 race

Rudy has submitted the photos and video from the 3/29 race between Joshua (the owner of the Corner Pub) and Brian (who did work at the CP, but left last month to run his own bowling alley in SC).

See the YouTube video (with sound).

See the photos (including a race sequence) in the continuation.

Both the video and the images are large, and not recommended for dial-up connections.

We're looking for runners for Tuesday and Thursday 6-8PM. $10 "Dash Cash" to the winner. Live entertainment for the viewers on deck.

Four-man race on 7/21/2006

Four guys ran the Dumpster Dash around 9:45 PM EST Friday 7/21/2006. Their names and ages, in order of finish:

Nick (26) -- 32.18 seconds (new Dumpster Dash record)
Brendan (33)
Clayton (28)
Tim the Handyman (48)

Photos  and video in the continuation

Cross-bracket DHS alumni race 7/8/2006

Around 10PM on Saturday, 7/8/2006 (in the first night Dumpster Dash); "Scarface" Chris (Decatur High School Class of '76) raced "Dumpster Dave" (DHS Class of '63). Chris is 48. David is 60 (61 in October).

It was a cross-bracket race because the contestants are from two different decade age brackets. In fact, there's a decade age bracket between their respective brackets.

Chris won, as expected.  Details in the continuation.

"Yogi Todd the Biker" sets Dumpster Dash speed record

"Yogi Todd the Biker" (age 43) did a solo run of the Dumpster Dash on Friday, 6/16.  He was clocked at 32.89 seconds, which is the fastest time recorded thus far. (Most races have not been timed.)

On Saturday, he said he could do better. Maybe he can break the mytical 30 second Dumpster Dash barrier.

The lower limit is around 20 or 21 seconds, which a few Olympic-level athletes could run.

Video clips of the "Battle of the Ages"

Thanks to Neel, official Dumpster Dash photographer, the dramatic finish of the "Battle of the Ages" between old "Dumpster Dave" (60) and young "Kilt Ray" (40) on 6/3/2006 are now available to the WORLD.

Video of Truth clips WITH AUDIO (hosted by YouTube):

Start (run down was at a moderate pace)

Finish (unanticipated & dramatic! -- what makes the DD great!)

The action is fast! The entire race takes less than 3/4 of a minute. For analysis, it has to be slowed down. See these annotated photo sequences (click on the images to enlarge them):

Start

Finish

For a narrative, see the original post.

This is probably the best documented and most widely publicized 45-second sporting event in Decatur, Georgia's 183 year incorporated history. [Artifacts indicate humans have been living on this land for at least 6000 years, but that was before Al Gore invented the internet and the digital camera. Most of the running back then was for survival, not for sport.]

"Dumpster Dave" beats "Blacksmith Ray" in "Battle of the Ages"

On Friday, 6/2/2006, around 7PM, David (60 yrs 7 months, 5-7, 182) raced Ray (recently turned 40, over 6 ft, around 220 lbs?) in the "Battle of the Ages" Dumpster Dash. Due to the greater than 20 years (two decades) difference in age, the race was classified as an exhibition race.

Videos courtesy of Neel, official Dumpster Dash photographer:

Start (run down was only at paced, moderate speed)

Finish (dramatic!)

Sequenced freezed frames (click on image to enlarge)

Start

Finish

In between the start and finish clips, David and Ray touched the dumpster simultaneously and Ray jumped out to a 15-20 stride lead coming back, which David had closed to about 5 strides when the finish clip starts, and to a couple of strides when Ray lost his balance with about 20 yards to go.

Verbal accounts and interpretations will vary and memories will fade and be revised, but the Video of Truth will not change, and will never lie. After watching the clips and viewing the freeze frames, you can judge for yourself who would have won, had Ray not tumbled.

After Ray races some guys in his own age range (eg. "Rugby Chris" or "Printer Chip"), David will be happy to consent to another "Battle of the Ages" demo race with the winner, if he so desires. (As in boxing, once you lose, you have to work you're way back up to the big matches.)

Dumpster Dave's analysis of the race (with which you may or may not concur -- if not, comment with your take) is in the lengthy continuation.

Ray's been a very good sport about it.

(The DD site is designed for viewing using a high-speed connection.)