Runners tap into all kinds of crazy sources to find motivation to get to the finish line, but until this past September they were without a hateful floating cherub called the "Blerch" to spur them forward.
That's when Matthew Inman of the online comic The Oatmeal released a six-part series in which the Blerch—a devil-on-the-shoulder-type character that thwarts Inman's running motivation with the promise of cake and naps and Netflix marathons—first appeared and became a beloved phenomenon.
Now Inman's "I believe in the Blerch" t-shirts are sported at races all over the country, and the inaugural "Nutrition - Weight Loss" 10These Are the World’s Fastest Marathoners.
Inman, a self-described "fat kid" turned ultrarunner, says he always wanted to organize a race but felt like he needed to wait until he had something different to offer. Then his six-part comic "How to Run Your Best Disney Race" came out, and the Blerch became, as Inman describes him, "this kind of weird, fat spirit animal for people."
Inman's out-and-back race will coincide with the release of his new book on running and give fans a chance to not only run with Inman and get a book signed, but to also literally "beat the Blerch," or pacers dressed up like Blerches in fat suits. True to his professed love of post-run dietary atrocities, he also has some unconventional aid station offerings on tap.
"It's gonna be kind of a fat kids' race—like there's gonna be cake everywhere and Nutella because, as in the comic, I'm a crazy Nutella fan," Inman says.
To make sure all goes well, Inman has two experienced race directors on staff, and next year he hopes to expand the race to the East Coast after this year's "trial run" to see how well mid-marathon cake goes over. Registration for the race doesn't officially open until Monday, March 24, but Inman says response has been bigger than expected and he already feels guilty that the race has to be capped at 2,000 runners.
"These Are the World’s Fastest Marathoners Twitter are really excited about it because it's kind of a unique race," he says. "First you've got a comic turned into a live event, and it's on a cool trail—the Snoqualmie River Trail—so you kind of get the benefit of trail running without the narrow hills. It's flat, but it's also running through farms and woods, and it's really, really beautiful."
If the number of fans the race has on Facebook after only two days is any indication, expect Nutrition - Weight Loss to fill up fast. Here's where to register The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances here's where to find the Blerch's origin story at The Oatmeal. For more about Inman's running life, check out an earlier interview we did with him back in September here.
