![]() ![]() The 2016 Best Businesses of San Francisco Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. These exceptional companies help make the San Francisco area a great place to live, work and play. ![]() These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. This is the second time since 2014 that Fred Payne, Champion Bagpiper has been selected for this award.Įach year, the Best Businesses of San Francisco Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. San Francisco, JanuFred Payne, Champion Bagpiper has been selected for the 2016 Best Businesses of San Francisco Award in the Performing Arts category by the Best Businesses of San Francisco Award Program. I hope to have the privilege of being here for you in years to come.įred Payne, Champion Bagpiper Receives 2016 Best Businesses of San Francisco Award Thank you, Tia for hiring me once again, and Ken, for your reliable, compassionate support on the trail as well as your good conversation on a dark, cold mountain top. Maybe I will.” FSNB, the perfect adjective for this experience from every point of view – organizers, runners, the piper. “Put it in the Urban Dictionary,” I suggest. FSNB (Full speed, no brakes) is Tia’s new acronym describing the last few days before the race. and her assistant Ken (my handler) talk afterward about the challenges of staging such an event. The fastest covered the 3-mile, 1,500-foot uphill first leg quicker than you could imagine, and still more than 90 km. These are the most hard-core runners I have seen. It is wild, close to the edge geographically, physically, and people-wise. This year they behave better, but the dry air goes to the bone and my fingers become the weak link. Reeds malfunctioned and finally shut down as the last runners went by. The dampness overwhelmed my moisture control. This unusually dry air is colder and I wear a balaclava instead. Normally, I perform in the proper uniform. Two race officials take continuous video with GoPros. Some actually approach and take selfies with me. Many point their devices at me and take pics or videos. Most runners give me a high sign, a wave, or a cheer. The warmers do the trick and I coax a few more minutes of music from my stiff, brittle-skinned fingers. I stop playing, stuff my hands into the jacket, hold the hand warmers for a minute. I play on, trusting muscle memory to find and cover those holes. After 20, I can’t feel the holes in my chanter. After 15 minutes I can feel my fingers beginning to numb. ![]() There is a car 50 feet away with its heater running at max. They all deserve the inspiration and lift of powerful pipe tunes so I try to play continuously, taking occasional brief breaks. I play quick marches, jigs, reels, hornpipes, everything upbeat as they make the turn to head south along the ridge.Īfter only 3 miles, the 400 runners are strung out for a half an hour. I see headlamps bobbing in the distance as the sky begins to lighten to the west. The frontrunners arrive in less than 25 minutes. Runners start at 5AM in Stinson Beach, 3 miles away and 1,500 feet lower. I stand by a sharp crook in the Dipsea trail at the top of a grade know as “cardiac,” and that says it all. It’s a half mile off the road near the Pantoll ranger station on Mt. This is no parking lot, public road, or bike path. It is 43 degrees with a 20 knot dry wind blowing from inland. I have two thermal underlayers on, hand warmers in my pockets, and for the first time, a balaclava on my head. Not only is it dark, it is cold, the kind that penetrates deep. For the third year “running,” I perform for the Miwok 100K ultramarathon, my most consistently challenging and always very rewarding performance. I was up at 3AM, on site at 4:30 and performing at 5:20. The Ever-challenging, Always Rewarding Miwok 100K ![]()
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