The 2008 Pseudo Decathlon Running Diary
June 27th - 29th 2008
By Scott Stein

This was the seventh consecutive year for the Decathlon and for the past few years I've thought about doing some sort of diary or running commentary of the event. There were two main reasons. First I wanted to record what the Decathlon was really like so a couple decades from now I can look back and remember all of the competition, entertainment, and hilarity that get packed into this weekend every year. After all, with my memory I'll barely be able to remember how to spell decathlon let alone that I actually competed in one. But the major reason I wanted to do this is to give all of the people who have never participated in our grand event a real understanding of what this weekend of pseudo sports is all about. I've told a lot of friends, family, coworkers, and complete strangers about the Decathlon and I always have trouble fully describing everything I want while barely containing my excitement. It's completely impossible to give the Decathlon its due justice with a mere ten or fifteen minute discussion. I feel like I can never tell enough stories or give enough explanations to really paint the full picture. So that's what the goal of this running diary is: to give you as complete a picture as possible of what it's like to host and compete in the Pseudo Decathlon. We'll go through the entire weekend from when I wake up Friday morning to when I go to bed Sunday night. I carried a little notebook and a golf pencil around with me all three days and I'll use the resulting forty-six pages of notes to give a minute by minute account of the events I play in and watch, the conversations that happen, the wackiness that ensues, and my thoughts at the time. I have no idea how this will turn out but I hope it's both entertaining and enlightening. Enjoy.